


Roadblock (G/T P!Septiplier)

by PlatonicSeptiplier



Category: P!Septiplier G/T, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Amy Nelson - Freeform, Ethan Nestor - Freeform, Giant/Tiny, Mark Fischbach - Freeform, Markiplier - Freeform, Platonic Male/Male Relationships, Probably fluff and angst, Sean McLoughlin - Freeform, Signe Hansen - Freeform, TINY - Freeform, Tyler Scheid - Freeform, giant, giant!Ethan, giant!Tyler, giant!markiplier, jacksepticeye - Freeform, survivalofthefittest, tiny!jacksepticeye
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-09
Updated: 2018-06-16
Packaged: 2019-04-20 10:48:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 22,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14259321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PlatonicSeptiplier/pseuds/PlatonicSeptiplier
Summary: In the chaotic world of a gargantuan apocalypse, Jack McLoughlin discovers old ties and uncovers the truth behind everyone's suffering. But in this fucked up world, can he survive long enough to find and fix the source of everyone's problems? Or will humankind never recover from the giant apocalypse, and will he ever recover his friends? Or is it too late? ... Will he be ̱ͧͩ͂̓̆ͅl̶̘͇̹̓̏ͭ̀͒̽o͙͓͚ͫ̑ͬ͢st̷̠͒ͯ͂ͩ̃̄̚ ͨ̆͐́҉̝̘̮f̣̙͚̚̚͞o̠̝͍͖͇͕̔͑̚͞ṟ͖̋͋ͥͪ͆̑̓eͩ̅̈́v̖̼̟̼̄͜e̪ͩ͠r̩͉̂ͩ͂?̳͍͆̌̽͐̅͘ͅNovelette/Side storyContains: action, peril, and language





	1. Cornered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On the footrace for his survival, Jack bumps into a giant that turns out to be strangely cordial.

Jack wasn't sure how he ended up in this scenario. For starters, he was stuck in an apocalypse. No, it was not a zombie apocalypse or whatever fantasies they make nowadays. This was a chaotic world where giants seem to have come out of nowhere and overtaken the entire planet. Buildings and civilization as they knew it was destroyed; animals hid and became much more aggressive; humans had to run too, or else they would be devoured by the man-eating, gargantuan monsters.

For Jack, things had been pretty rough. At the beginning of his footrace for survival, it rained a fucking bunch. He was wet and cold all the time, but as least the rain hid his scent. He made his way across the UK and snuck onto a boat that shipped a few other humans across the waters, but they had to pay the captain food in exchange. Jack stumbled onto Floridian soil and made his way across the United States. He had to hide from lots of giants, using his small, skinny size, and the luck of the Irish. It felt like ages before he finally made it to the abandoned city of Los Angeles, California. For a moment, there was hope when Jack finally made it to see the once great city on the horizon. Los Angeles could afford plenty of hiding places, and there was a good chance of some stuff to scavenge. But then, when he had retired to a cave to sleep in a safe hiding place, he was startled to find out that it was being occupied by a pack of ravenous wolves.

And so, he was currently on the run for his very life.

Jack was already out of breath as he clambered over a fallen tree log. The wolves seemed nonexistent, lacking bodies, but their howls pierced the twilight and sent shivers running down his spine; they were everywhere, all around and at once. His legs were jelly as he stumbled forward, weighed down by fatigue, but he kept going. He looked over his shoulder and caught a fleeting glimpse of a lanky shadow. His breath hitched, and just as he turned around again he smacked into something that sent him reeling. He collapsed with a yelp, stunned for a few seconds before he groaned and sat up.

"Ow!" He muttered. He was about to get up when he saw what was blocking his way: An immense shoulder, covered in a wall of black fabric. His eyes widened. His breath suddenly quickened a mile a minute, and he watched in transfixed horror as the shoulder shifted. A face was revealed, and the giant yawned languidly before its eyes fluttered open, unfocused. Jack pedaled back a bit as the eyes blinked and hazily looked around, unfocused, before they settled on him. The giant's eyes widened, and a curious rumble reverberated in his chest, shaking Jack to the very bone.

As he scrambled to his feet and started backing away, he heard a scuttle of paws and turned to see the wolf pack peering at him through the bushes. He gasped and backed away, trembling so violently that it was a wonder he could stay upright. He felt a warm breath before a hand came in front of him. He whimpered as the hand gently pulled him away from the wolves and guided him to the giant. Jack tried to make a break for it, but the hand just blocked it. Helpless, he was pulled up to the giant's chest, and his world went dark as he was gently pinned against solid bone and powerful muscles.

The giant growled at the wolves. The puny predators yipped nervously, and then one made the daring mistake to take a step forward. The giant bared his teeth and roared aggressively, and the wolves yelped as they turned tail and ran. Jack had flinched against the immense being and closed his eyes. He shuddered as a tear escaped him and rolled down his cheek. He was at the complete mercy of an apex predator.

He hiccupped with a sob as the giant relaxed and looked down at his catch. He rumbled curiously, and he frowned when he felt Jack cringe. He slowly sat up, taking the human with him, and turned over so he was upright. He slowly uncupped his hand and found himself holding a tiny Irishman that was starting to burst into tears. He whined and lowered his head to sniff the human, wondering if it was hurt.

As soon as Jack felt the giant prod him with his nose and sniff, he did the only thing he could do and screamed. The giant sharply pulled back, now looking concerned. He tried again, but Jack broke into a wild flailing and kicked away.

"No, no, no!!!" He shouted, "I've lasted this long, yer not taking me alive!!!" Puzzled, the giant stopped and watched the human squirm. It was kind of cute, but why was it squeaking so much?  _Maybe it doesn't like being touched._ He slowly moved his head and watched as Jack sat up and looked around wildly. Jack wasn't sure how long he had. Had he scared the giant off? How long before it...?

 _No, don't think like that!_ Jack took his best chance and jumped to his feet, bolting to the edge of the giant's hand and jumping off. He heard the giant sharply inhale before he slammed into a tree's trunk, sliding down the bark a bit before he got a grip. He grunted and reached for a tree limb. He wrapped his arms around it and tried to pull himself up, but his weak muscles failed him. He gasped when he almost slipped and held on for dear life, scraping his skin painfully. He whimpered and kicked his legs, still trying to get up.

The giant was puzzled. _What is it doing?_ He watched the tiny Irishman kick and struggle, draped on a branch that, if broke, would be a long fall. Jack tried to reach for the bark to pull himself up, but the bark snapped and peeled under his weight. He yelled out as his chest slammed against the branch, and- winded- he lost his grip and fell with a scream. He expected to have a quick and painful death, and that the giant would get to have a Jack-shaped pancake. But his landing wasn't that; before he could hit the ground, he suddenly collapsed in a plush field of darkness. It took him a few seconds before his body reacted, and he gasped in a breath of air. For a few seconds, he lay there, panting, until he could sit up. He groaned in pain and looked at his arms to see that shallow blood dotted his skin. He rubbed them tenderly, wincing.  _Well, if that doesn't wake up a giant's appetite, I don't know what will._ And, speaking of giants, the surface under him moved with a groan. Jack's eyes were big as he went "Whoa!" and steadied himself.

It was then that he realized where he was, as the giant sat up and rubbed his arm. The giant had dropped to his forearms and knees and caught Jack with his head, allowing Jack a safe place to land and saving his life. Jack shuddered and looked at the knoll of hair he was embedded in. Shocking waves of body heat rolled over him, enveloping him in warmth. He shivered.  _How the hell am I still alive?_  But what he wasn't taking into account was that the giant still had not tried to eat him. Instead, the immense creature was sitting on his legs, licking some dirt off his hand.

The giant suddenly jerked his head and sneezed, startling Jack before he laughed nervously. "Bless you!" He said instinctively. The giant sniffed and rubbed his nose. Jack shakily got up and walked to the edge of the giant's hair. He paled at the long drop far below and took a step back, and then he looked down to see the giant brushing dirt off of his ragged jeans. Jack swallowed nervously.

"Um..." He started, "H-hello? H-hi, giant?" The giant's head came up slightly, and he rumbled. "Yeah, um." Jack scratched the back of his head. "C-can ye put me down? If-if you just get me to the-the ground, we can just pretend that, uh, y-you never saw me-" he yelped when the giant reached up and picked him up. Jack squirmed a little as he was brought down to eye level. He slowly stopped and studied the giant as his tiny chest pressed against his fingers. He had warm, almond-brown eyes, smooth tan skin, and some stubble. For a carnivore, the giant looked pretty... pretty human.

The giant rumbled and brought Jack closer. Jack tensed until he realized the giant was sniffing him again, and he warily relaxed, this time allowing it. The giant growled and opened his hand a little, allowing Jack some wriggle room. But no sooner did he pull his arms out of the giant's fist did the immense fingers suddenly grab his arms and extend them outward. Jack tensed as the giant sniffed his scratches and growled. He yelped when it stuck its huge tongue out and licked his arms.

"Hey!" He chided, squirming. But he couldn't pull back, and the giant started lapping at the cuts. Jack slowly stopped and stared at it. His arms were starting to not hurt anymore. The giant kept licking before licking his own lips and looking at Jack. He rumbled hopefully, and to Jack it for some reason sounded like, "Did I do good?" He sighed, relaxing.

"Thanks," he mumbled. The giant purred and nuzzled him, squishing Jack against his cheek. Jack giggled and playfully pushed. "Hey! Careful!" The giant continued purring for a few more seconds, and Jack slowly relaxed. For some reason, this giant was different than the man-eating ones. Maybe it was vegetarian, or maybe it simply didn't want to eat him of all creatures. Whatever the reason, Jack was grateful; and, now that he was starting to get over his anxiety about the beast, he was starting to feel comfortable. He wasn't appreciating how high up he was, however.

"Do you have a name?" Jack suddenly asked. "Or do giants not have those?" It was a question that had been brewing in his head for a good while.

"Mmmrrrhhg," the giant growled. Jack frowned.

"Guess not." He tried to think of a name that started with an M. "Hmm. Marvin...? No. Mmm? Mmmrr..." Jack wondered if the giant had tried to say a name but failed. "Mrr.. What sounds like Mmrr...? Mrr.. Mmmaa... M-Maarr..." Jack snapped his fingers. "Mark?" He asked. The giant purred and nodded at the familiar syllable, and Jack grinned. "Awesome! I got it right!" He smiled at the giant, who's lips twitched nervously before baring his teeth in a smile back. Jack chuckled and suddenly yawned. "Oh, man," he mumbled, rubbing his eyes. "I can't remember the last time I slept. I'm completely knackered!" Mark rumbled and held the human against his chest. Jack yawned again and hesitantly snuggled. "Thanks," he murmured.

Mark started softly purring, huddling over his small acquaintance. Jack closed his eyes and sighed, only tensing at first when he felt Mark start nuzzling him. He relaxed and sighed. "Yer ok, buddy," he murmured deliriously. "Yer not so bad. Yer like a giant teddy bear, actually." The purring grew in intensity. Then Mark looked around and sniffed, and then he got up and carried Jack somewhere. He peeked between the giant's fingers to see Mark taking him to a cave. But this one felt different, it had a more open and friendly air, set apart from the wolf cave.

Jack closed his eyes with a sleepy hum as Mark carried him inside and sat down at the back of the cavern. The giant yawned and resumed nuzzling Jack, who smiled drowsily before dozing off. Mark continued purring softly and carefully lay down, curling up with his human acquaintance safely snuggled in his arms. He looked at the mouth of the cave for a few minutes, watching the last of the fading sunlight disappear, and then he let his head rest on the cold stone floor and fell asleep. 


	2. Fraternal Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack ventures into Los Angeles, where he discovers some shocking truths.

Jack yawned and opened his eyes, blinking in the faint morning light. He groaned and tried to stretch, but he found that he couldn't move due to a weight pinning him. Confused, he looked around, drowsily, at his surroundings. The cave was dank and cool, and the weak sunlight only faintly lit up the interior of the cavern. Jack wriggled and pushed out of the suffocating space he was stuck in with a grunt, and after catching himself he got up and turned around.

"... Oh." Now he remembered. Behind him, Mark was snoring softly, curled up against the back wall. Jack sucked in a deep breath and backed up, trying to fit the whole gargantuan figure in sight.  _Jesus Christ. I know I've ever only seen, like, two or three giants... but holy shit._ He looked over his shoulder, wondering whether to leave the beast be and go before he woke up, or to stay. He wanted to thank Mark for, firstly, not eating him, and also for saving him and offering shelter and protection. But still... he was a giant.

Jack shook his head and backed away.  _I should just go, before I give him anymore trouble._  As he turned to leave, he heard Mark yawn as he rolled over, curling up with his back to Jack. Jack paused, and then hurried to exit the cave. Outside, the wind was lightly blowing, and the moon hung dimly on the horizon. Jack took a deep breath and studied his surroundings, and once he'd figured out where he was he turned toward Los Angeles and started walking.

Even as he made his way to the old city, Jack couldn't help but still think about Mark.  _Why didn't he kill me? Why is he different from the average giant? Why did he save my life?_  Many questions cycled through his rapid brain, but none of them came with nor revealed answers. He sighed.  _Nothing makes any damn sense anymore._ He tried to put the giant out of his mind and stopped for a break at some wild berry bushes. They had a sharp tang, but an overall layer of sweetness and juicy. He had quite a few of the red berries before he continued on his way down a slope. The city was just down below.

When he reached the bottom, Jack stopped and looked up at the tall, abandoned city. He whistled in awe, and the note echoed through the empty streets. He sighed. _Well, better get searching!_

 

 

 

Tyler was puzzled that morning to catch wind of Mark's scent on a breeze. The peaceful giant always refused to go back to the old city, so it caught Tyler's attention quickly. The taller giant rumbled and sat up, sniffing around before looking off into a direction. Strange, he didn't see the familiar giant. Tyler slowly got up, cat stretching before he rose and walked carefully along the tiny streets and tried to not knock any of the buildings down.

He sniffed again, and this time he caught another scent underneath his friend's. Human. His pupils constricted, and Tyler bared his teeth warily. What was a human doing all the way out here in the West? And, even more concerning, why would the human have Mark's scent on it-

Tyler snarled. Unless the human was dangerous. Humans were known to band together to try and take down the giants. Poor Mark was too pure of heart to even try attacking the tiny people. He always told Tyler that they were "cute" and "people just like us."  _Damn it, Mark! His pacifism must have failed him_.  _He must have finally come across humans and, given the choice, failed to defend himself._ And now the human had the audacity to waltz in here, on his territory!

Tyler growled deeply, angry. He wanted revenge now.

 

 

 

There was some good loot in the shops. Jack found some unopened beef jerky, sweets, bottles of water and lots of other good stuff. He even found a backpack to hold it all in. He was currently behind the cashier's desk, in a building that had lost its roof, rummaging through some small pocket treats when he'd discovered an old Roaring Twenties trap door under a beam. Ooo, maybe there's some spare alcohol! After getting the beam off, Jack unlocked it with a key he found hiding in a small container, pulled it open, and then he climbed inside. It was dark, so he turned on a flashlight he'd found and continued down the narrow corridor. He walked up to a metal door and, to his relief, it was unlocked. He grinned and walked inside.

The interior was mostly white. Equipment was scattered everywhere, and no colour stood out. Jack frowned as he shined the light around. No beer, dang it. But what is this place? A hospital? Jack reached for a light switch and tried it. No dice. The hairs on the back of his neck stood, and tried to ignore it as he moved away and started exploring. He came across some medicine and first aide kits, which he liked. But he still wasn't sure about this place. Some of the beds he came across had straps on them, and there were some charts and stuff measuring some serious shit like sanity levels and aggression meters. And being abandoned, Jack found the place very creepy, so he hurried through it as fast as he could.

The last room was a file room. He spotted a water bottle on top of one of the filing cabinets, so he went and grabbed it. But then, Jack noticed it was on top of an old file that was open, and a pen lay abandoned under a name:

Mark Fischbach.

Jack tried to think, but his brain shut down. Idiot, he told himself, it's not the same Mark, it can't be! But the reality had begun to sink in. With despair, Jack realized that yes, he knew the giant now. It was his old buddy, a friend he recorded some videos with. He covered his eyes as the memories came flooding back: All of those prop hunts and collab videos echoed in his ears, and he couldn't decide whether he wanted to laugh at the fond old memories or break down crying.

 _How did I not realize it sooner!?_ Jack wanted to scream. He had abandoned his friend! That was why Mark didn't kill him, it all made sense now! Jack shook his head and groaned. He looked at the file and noticed there was more. He picked it up and blew away a fine line of dust, sneezing promptly, and started reading. For some reason, everything about Mark was here; where he lived, who he was with, how tall he was. Jack's hands shook as he turned the page and kept reading.

"Day thirteen," he read quietly out loud, "Subject #3 is showing severe signs of aggression. Familiar faces approaching with caution and no ill intent is the only way to get close. Doctor Nelson is the only one who can approach him now, but even though they've been together for quite a few years he's started to lose his memories, and it's becoming a struggle for Subject #3 to pinpoint memories." Jack felt sick. He continued, skimming a few more days about loss of memories and further aggression.

"Day sixteen. It happened. It finally happened. Now we can get to the bottom of human physiology and find out what makes them tick. The subjects have all changed, and they were transported to the facility just in time. Subject #2 was a little edgy and upset, but he complied fine when we sent him along with Subject #1. Subject #3 is strangely docile, for some reason, and the aggression levels have plummeted. Subject #2 now has the highest hormonal levels. Maybe now, we can finally get some answers." Engrossed, Jack turned to the next page. This time, it was handwritten, and there were bloody fingerprints on it.

"Day twenty. I don't know what happened. There was a security failure. All of the subjects got out. Subject #24 smashed the glass and killed the director. The rest of us scattered for our very lives when we realized we could do nothing. I had to watch a girl screaming for help as she was eaten alive, and I also noticed the only one that didn't attack was Subject #3. If provoked, he probably would have, so I hit the city-wide panic button for evacuation and ran for my life.

Then when I made for the bunker, Subject #2 followed me. He caught up, of course, and tried to kill me. I barely escaped, but I have massive internal injuries, and I'm bleeding too badly." The handwriting was steadily getting worse and harder to read. "I'm going to die. I don't have any hopes of surviving this, but I'm so sorry for taking part in what I now see was not a scientific discovery, but madness in messing with Mother Nature. I'm sorry." There was a signature scribbled at the bottom. Jack slowly closed the file and stared at it for a few good seconds. He blinked, once, and then twice. Then he looked up.

"What the fuck!" He whispered.

 

 

 

Climbing out of the hidden bunker, Jack had to lean on a column for support as he breathed in some fresh air. Going through the files, Jack had found out the facts: Subject #1 was Ethan Nestor; Subject #2 was Tyler Scheid; and Subject #3 was Mark. There were more subjects, a lot more, the numbers going up all the way to a hundred and seventy nine. Jack still couldn't wrap his head around it, how or why they had so many subjects, but now he knew for sure; giants were once human.

Upon discovering this, it took a lot out of Jack. He had uncovered the truth, but now what? Giants were still roaming the earth and chowing down on whatever they thought was edible. How was he suppose to fix this? Could he fix it?

Jack sighed, tired, and rubbed his eyes. He slumped onto his posterior and shrugged his pack off. Inside were the files on his three victimized friends, and though there were mentions of Amy and Katheryn, he couldn't find anything on them. But he had a feeling he knew what happened. In the various mentions, they were said to be participants of the experiments and doctors that kept the subjects calmed down. They were especially successful with Ethan, Tyler and Mark, since they were all friends of course. There was even a report Jack snagged in which a doctor complained about how clingy Amy was to Subject #3, and how she sometimes had to be dragged off with tears and mascara dribbling down her cheeks. Of course, this pissed Mark off, so it had to be done only when necessary.

Jack lay down and sighed, closing his eyes and letting the evening sunlight shine on his pale skin. He had to go back. He had to find Mark and find a way to get through to him, to remind him who he was. And then they had to find the others. As Jack tried to figure out some sort of plan, he noticed the world grow darker beyond his eyelids. He opened his eyes and found himself staring up at the immense face of Tyler.

Tyler snarled, and Jack screamed in surprise. He rolled when the giant tried to hit him, but he smashed his fist through the ground. Jack jumped to his feet and took off running. He looked over his shoulder to see Tyler move away from the building and then to follow him, anger burning in his eyes. Jack stopped running and turned around.

"T-Tyler!" He yelled. There was a brief hesitation in the giant's movement, but the fury came back, and he roared. Jack covered his ears with a gasp of pain. "Tyler, wait, stop! It's me, Jack!" He shouted. Tyler didn't seem to recognize him. Angrily, he tried to run forward and attack, but Jack flung himself to the side, and the building behind him shuddered and began to crumple. Helpless, the Irishman broke off running again as the building collapsed on Tyler, who, coughing, shook the rubble off and looked around for a dazed second. Jack ducked behind another building and struggled to contain his breathing. When silence befell the city, Jack slowly leaned and looked. He couldn't see Tyler.

With a sudden cold realization, Jack had a terrible feeling he knew where the giant was. Doing what personages in fiction usually didn't do, he walked forward and shimmied along the side of the wall, slipping into a doorway and hiding behind a pillar. Sure enough, Tyler's head leaned forward to look where Jack once stood, and his brow furrowed as he rumbled and sniffed the air, puzzled where the human went. Jack covered his mouth and looked around for the best escape route possible. As soon as he had an idea, he locked into gear and took off running. The giant snarled as soon as he saw him, and he lashed out with startling speed and smashed the asphalt in front of Jack. Jack cried out in shock and pain as he was flung back and stumbled, dazed from the sound wave and flying pebbles.

Tyler's fist quickly overcame the human and trapped him tightly, bringing him up to his face. Tyler growled and showed his teeth as Jack squirmed, struggling to breath.

"T-Tyler...!" He gasped out. "P-please... Tyler... stop!" The giant growled and brought Jack closer, licking his lips. But before he could do anything, a roar stopped him. He hesitated and turned, making a surprised noise. Jack had covered his eyes and braced himself, shaking violently in Tyler's grip as a series of rumbles, growls, and purring played out. But then, the fingers uncurled and slipped him onto softer, more familiar, skin. The surface bowled under Jack's skinny body and cradled him carefully, much differently than Tyler's harsh grip.

Jack shivered as a warm breath ruffled his hair, and he felt a nose gently nudge him. He opened his eyes and, with shocked relief, saw Mark. "M-Mark!" He gasped out. Mark purred and nuzzled him, relieved that the human was ok. Tyler watched puzzledly, but when he rumbled something Mark growled at him and held Jack closer. The growl faded to more purring as Mark crooned and rubbed his cheek against Jack, who was stunned.

"M-Mahrk. Mark!" Jack pushed his cheekbone to make the giant stop for a second. "Do you- do you remember me?" He asked nervously. Mark purred positively. "No, I-I mean before this, before... back when you were human." Silence. Mark shared a look with Tyler and growled in a way that sounded like, "See? I was right." Tyler rolled his eyes and treaded back to where the chase began, fetching Jack's pack. Mark turned to Jack and rumbled happily, nuzzling him again. "Is-is that a yes?" Jack asked uncertainly. Before Mark could answer, Tyler made a noise as he shuffled up to him. He had dumped the contents of Jack's pack into his hand, and pinched between his fingers was the diminutive stack of files.

"Yeah, I found those," Jack said, pointing at them. "They were in a secret bunker or something, they had yer names on it." Tyler growled and held the files out to Jack, who took them with a grateful murmur and opened the top one. As quickly as he could, he read aloud all of the writing and documentary on them. Tyler looked appalled, but Mark looked sad and delighted at the same time. When Jack finished, the peaceful giant purred softly and nuzzled the tiny Irishman. Jack smiled.

"So, do you know where Ethan is?" He asked. Tyler rumbled and put Jack's stuff in Mark's spare hand, and then he turned and headed off. Jack watched him go, and then he turned his attention to his newfound stuff and packed it all back up. Mark watched him quietly for a few minutes before vocalizing a curious sound. Jack sighed and sat, leaning against the giant's curled fingers and yawning tiredly. Mark looked around before suddenly lifting his hand up and holding it to his head. Jack looked down, startled, but Mark urged him on with a low purr. Jack grabbed his backpack and hesitantly went onto the giant's head. Familiar body heat rolled off the surface under him, and the disheveled forest of hair was as soft as ever.

Jack sighed and lay down, feeling Mark start purring again. He was softly rumbling as he slightly swayed side to side, coaxing Jack into total relaxation. The Irishman sighed quietly and snuggled up in the soft hair, finding comfort in his old pal's presence. It made him feel safe.


	3. Road Trip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the gang finally assembled, they head for the coast to make sense of the root of the world's problems.

It was twilight when Tyler finally returned. Jack was about to fall asleep when Mark stirred, which coerced the Irishman to wake up. As Jack yawned and rubbed his eyes, he noticed the smaller giant at Tyler's side and smiled, recognizing Ethan.

Ethan looked around curiously before bounding up to Mark and hugging him with a content trill, only to back away and growl nervously at Jack's scent. Mark rumbled and assured him that it was ok, and the giant warily relaxed. Together, Tyler and Mark explained to Ethan what was up, and the young giant listened intently with wide eyes. Then, he looked up at Jack, and he purred curiously. Since his chest wasn't as broad as the others' his sounds were much higher, and they reminded Jack of a puppy. He smiled nervously and waved, and Ethan waved back, recognizing the gesture with a happy noise.

"So what now?" Jack looked at the others. "I saw some mentionings of a place called Vale Jisig, or the Valley of Knowledge... in some kind of language, I don't know what." Tyler narrowed his eyes with a wary growl. Ethan looked nervous at the name. Under Jack, Mark rumbled and shifted his shoulders; he had turned his head and looked in the direction of the coast.

"Wh-what Is it?" Jack asked. And then he realized. "It's across the ocean?" He guessed. Mark growled and bobbed his head in a nod. "Well... okay. We can get across that, right?" Jack said bravely. "It's just a quick trip across the pond!" Ethan whined. Tyler looked frustrated at his inability to speak human, therefor unable to inform Jack of how dangerous going to Asia was.

Mark at least tried to get the point across. He rumbled and pointed at his head, Tyler, and Ethan, and then made a sweeping gesture. He had to repeat it a couple of times before Jack went "Oh."

"There's more giants?" He frowned. "Oh, I get it. If this is the research facility where you guys escaped from, then there'll still be lots of other changed people there." Tyler and Ethan nodded as Mark tilted his head. Jack sighed. "Shit." Then he shook his head. "One step at a time, guys. Let's just get to the shore and we'll figure it out from there, ok? Then we can work on getting past everyone and finding a way to get you guys back to normal." They seemed to like that idea. It wasn't long before they began their journey, and within a few minutes they were out of the large city ruins and headed into an overgrown forest.

Jack watched as the sun set on the horizon, trying to keep his mind off of heights. He was nauseated just by looking down, and even now he was a bit queasy as Mark's gait swayed him from side to side. But he survived; the sun sank and disappeared from view, leaving its bloody rays behind, and the wind picked up. Occasionally, Mark would reach up for Jack and give him a gentle poke, and the Irishman would pat whichever finger was closest to reassure him. It was still surreal to them both, even if one was more animalistic than their past relationship they were still friends. Ethan was still as innocent and pure as ever, somehow never having eaten a single human. And Tyler was a lot nicer, now that he knew it was Jack: an okay human who didn't hurt anyone.

It startled Jack to feel something splash on his arm, and he twisted it around to look. Another drop hit his head, and then his hand, and then his back. It got quicker, and Jack realized that it was raining when the skies rumbled ominously, and then the heavens opened up and unleashed a torrent of downpour.

"Guys?" Jack yelped. Tyler scowled at the rain, and Ethan was covering his head with his hands. Mark did the same, but was trying to shield Jack from the rain. But it didn't work; within minutes, Jack was completely soaked to the bone and shivering, and everyone else was covered in water. The wind blew heavier sheets of rain and howled as thunder boomed overhead. Jack couldn't stop shivering. Mark roared at Tyler, and the giant snapped back. They went back and forth for a few seconds before Ethan piped up, and they seemed to finally agree on something. Jack shuddered before Mark suddenly picked up the human and held him against his chest, trying to shield Jack with his body. Jack shivered violently and buried his face in his breastbone, shaking uncontrollably. Tyler, having disappeared for a few seconds, suddenly vocalized a little ways off. He had found a narrow ravine they could take shelter in for the night. Ethan hurried off to him and helped Tyler make the opening a little wider so that they could all fit, while Mark worried over their little buddy.

All Jack could hear was the howling wind, rain, and his and Mark's heartbeats. His pulse throbbed wildly, freezing cold despite the giant's body heat, and he had the urge to wrap up in a bunch of blankets and huddle next to a lit fireplace. Mark growled softly, worried as he tried to warm him up, but nature was just too cold and tumultuous.

As soon as they could, the giants climbed into the concealed ravine and shook their heads free of water. Mark did not, however, and curled up in the corner. His back was to the others as he hunched over Jack, who was making a visible effort to keep awake. His eyelids felt heavy, and he was so cold. Mark whined and tried exhaling a warm breath on him. Jack twitched; it seemed to help a little. He passed the Irishman to Ethan for a quick moment and took off his waterlogged shirt, squeezing as much water out of it as he could. He set it down over his thighs and then took Jack back. Jack continued to shiver as he was carefully placed on the giant's thigh, and he shuddered as Mark folded his shirt over and wrapped him up. Then, he picked up the bundle of Jack and held him against his abdomen, hoping for the best.

Ethan watched anxiously. He felt sorry for Jack, that he had to suffer. They all were. He glanced at Tyler, who was trying to block the wind and rain with brush. Tyler would never admit it out loud, but he too was worried. They all knew how frail humans were, and now there was an understanding between them that it was their job to protect their tiny friend from the harsh world.

Jack had stopped shaking finally. His eyes were closed, and he still felt cold against Mark's stomach, but the diminutive man was recuperating. His pale skin was covered in droplets, and his clothes were still soaked. Ethan rumbled and pointed it out, and Mark fumbled with Jack for a bit before managing to remove his spare attire, until he was at the bare minimum of a shirt and pants. Wet clothes would have increased his chances of hypothermia, and prolonged his rate of recovery, so Ethan volunteered to hold on to the dripping wet jacket, backpack, shoes and socks. Jack shivered and stirred, shifting a little deeper into his flannel cocoon with a primitive and subconscious desire to be warm.

Tyler finally sat down with a tired exhale. He managed to block out most of the rainstorm, but they were all wet and tired. They quickly agreed to rest here for the night and try to continue in the morning, and they did their best to evenly share the limited space, although Ethan was content sharing to warm back up. Mark slumped against the wall with a tired sigh, holding his balled up shirt and Jack against his chest. Sleep didn't come to him for a good while. He just sat there and listened to the angry storm outside that owned the night.

He brought his knees up and shifted, trying to stay awake, but he ended up nodding off as the rain continued to pour.

 

 

 

Jack stirred and slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw were the weak rays of light that pierced the stormy clouds, and then he saw the sea of red and black that had engulfed all but his head. He groaned and closed his eyes for a second; he didn't feel very good.  _God, my head is pounding!_ He turned over on his side and realized where he was.  _Guess the rain was too much for them too._ He lay there and listened to their breathing. He could feel Mark's heart pound softly in his body as he slowly breathed, his diaphragm moving Jack up and down with every inhale and exhale.

Jack tried sitting up and almost fell over. His center of gravity felt off: He couldn't place his balance. He climbed out of the flannel shirt and tried to walk, but he promptly stumbled and collapsed with a grunt. His limbs shook in an effort to just keep him upright, and his stomach felt as though it were collapsing in on itself; so, Jack gave up and slumped over the bundled shirt. He closed his eyes with a drowsy mumble to himself, disorientated.  _What the hell's wrong with me? Am I sick? Or maybe I'm hungry... maybe both._ Jack weakly opened his eyes.  _I need something to eat, badly._ He licked his cracked lips; he was also thirsty.

Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long before he heard someone stir, and his eyes slid to the side to see Ethan sit up and rub his eyes with a yawn. "Ethan!" He whispered. Ethan perked up and looked over. "Hey." Jack smiled weakly. "M-morning." Ethan frowned and rumbled quietly. "I'm not doing too good right now," Jack mumbled, "I'm really hungry." Ethan whined and looked up at the brush ceiling. He got up and, as quietly as possible, pushed the brush aside and cleared the way. Then he crouched down and carefully picked Jack up by his waist, seeing he didn't have the strength to get up.

Once they were outside, Ethan put Jack on his head like Mark did and looked around with a few sniffs before setting off. His hair was also pretty wild, and soft. It was comfortable to lay on, so Jack tried to relax until Ethan came to a surging river. "What about those?" Jack tapped Ethan's head and pointed at some bushes of red berries. He could already taste their tart flavor in his mouth. Ethan growled and shook his head. Jack's eyes widened.

"They're not edible?" He realized. He winced and put his face in Ethan's hair as the giant nodded. "Well that explains a bunch," he muttered. "Fuck!" Ethan purred sympathetically and looked around for something that could be considered real food to ease Jack's upset stomach. "I have some beef jerky and stuff in my pack." Jack lifted his head and looked up at the morning sun. Ethan exclaimed and dug through his pocket.

Jack helped himself to a breakfast of jerky and a small side of canned fruit before Ethan pointed out wild berries that were actually edible. They tried some, and Jack had to agree that they weren't near as nauseatingly tart as the other berries- which he decided to call death berries for drama.

When they returned to the ravine, Mark was just now waking up. Tyler was already up and about, surveying the land for the next leg of their trip. Mark noticed almost immediately that Jack was gone, and he looked around anxiously until Ethan returned with the tiny human. Mark relaxed and rumbled curiously at the two, and Ethan handed him back Jack. Jack giggled as Mark nuzzled him in greeting.

"I'm ok, buddy, really." He smiled up at Ethan. "Ethan was just giving me some survival tips, like what to eat or not eat when this stuff runs out." He waved the half-empty bag of beef jerky, and Mark understood. He purred gratefully at Ethan, to which the young giant puffed his chest out in modest pride. Jack adjusted his jacket, which was dry and good as new, and he fixed his shoelaces as Tyler came back.

The tallest giant called to them and made a few gestures, and Mark and Ethan replied with friendly chuffs. Jack glanced at the sky. It was still really dark and cloudy; it was probably going to rain again.

"We good to go?" He asked. They all nodded and set off for the shore.

 


	4. The Ocean is a Beach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's just a short trip across the pond, nothing could go wrong! ... Right?

Mark was scowling at the ocean when he gave it the finger.

"I agree." Jack eyed the lapping waves warily. The sea was a stormy gray, and the waves were choppy as the storm continued to brew above them. Ethan poked the water with his foot before jumping back with a yelp. Tyler rolled his eyes at the two weenies and growled, reminding them that they had a mission.

"Okay." Jack took a deep breath and pat Mark's head. "Come on buddy, we can do this," he urged, "Just a short swim, all right?" Mark whined and pulled his head down, almost knocking the Irishman off. "Come on, I'll be right here with ya. I hate the ocean too, remember?" He reminded. Mark grumbled unintelligibly and made a sour face. Tyler smirked at him, which provoked a snarl.

Ethan whined and made them both shut up. He gave them pointed looks and looked at the ocean for a few seconds, and then he took a breath before running out into the water. He splashed in with a very mature roar- not really- and uprooted a torrent of water that soaked the others. Jack had to brace himself as he too was splashed, and he gasped for air and shook his head. When he saw the others, however, he burst out laughing: Mark's bangs were in his eyes, and Tyler's curly hair was smothered. Both giants wore shocked looks, and they slowly looked at Ethan, who giggled guiltily. Tyler suddenly ran at Ethan, and the small giant yipped and took off running. Mark took a bit longer to react. He blinked, scratched the back of his head, and then he flipped his bangs out of his eyes and spat out a mouthful of salty water.

Jack kept laughing until Mark suddenly snatched him up, and then with a playful purr the giant dunked him in the shallows. Jack's laughter cut off with a scream before being smothered by the water. When he resurfaced, he scrambled for the shore.

"MARK!!" He yelled, laughing. Mark laughed as well, and the deep, familiar, reverberating laugh sent chills through the Irishman as he got flashbacks. He remembered that goofy laugh so well, just like he remembered every one of his videos before the apocalypse; his other friends; his fans; his family… and Signe.

Jack was numb for a moment until he felt a nudge from Mark, and he realized his smile had dropped and he was standing still. He shook his head and brought the smile back.

"I'm fine," he said. "Just tired, sorry." Mark gave him a doubtful look, but he didn't push it. Jack looked away and saw Ethan and Tyler splashing back to them. Ethan was soaked from head to toe. Jack grinned and looked up at Mark. "Come on," he told him, "We've got a date with a giant-infested hell hole."

 

 

Jack couldn’t see jack. Mark, Ethan and Tyler walked out quite a ways from the beach before they had to start swimming, and just seeing one of his gargantuan friends having to paddle in the huge body of water scared the shit out of the Irishman. And worse, the storm had enveloped them with a hazy fog, and it was so thick that they could barely see each other. It was so quiet that all Jack could hear was the thunder rumbling above, and the splashing of his friends as they swam. But he was really anxious, and he didn’t know why. He always had a grip on Mark's hair to steady himself, to the point of probably pulling a tuft out sooner or later.

Mark, too, was feeling uneasy. He kept glancing around and looking under him, even though he was far too big for a shark to dare try to disturb. Tyler kept quiet, but he didn’t look concerned. Ethan looked too tired to be squeamish.

A few hours passed, and Jack was starting to get seasick. The storm was getting more active, throwing waves into the giants' eyes or pushing the wind to whip at their hair. Ethan was lagging a bit, so Tyler was at his side to help him along, leaving Mark at the head of the group. His hair was getting frizzy from the sea air, and salt crystals stuck in his lashes. Jack groaned every few breaststrokes and muttered about PMA, trying to find the right chord to strike away his negative mood.

As the thunder got angrier, Tyler called for a break. They floated on the water surface and supported Ethan to give the poor guy a chance to catch his breath. Jack stirred and turned his head to hurl.

"Oh, god," he groaned, "I definitely don’t have my sea legs yet!" Mark growled sympathetically and squinted at the foggy waters. Tyler was still treading the water for Ethan, who was slumped against his shoulder and steadying his breathing. Jack sat up, swaying, and shakily stood. He slid down the side of Mark's head and collapsed on his broad shoulder, and then he moved as close to the edge as he could. "Ethan, you all right?" Jack called. Ethan trilled and moved his head, yawning. "Well that’s good-" The water suddenly bowed and rose up, catching Jack by surprise as the wave hit him square in the face. He lost his balance and tumbled, hitting the water with a quiet splash.

Shit! Jack clawed for the surface, but the water dipped and pushed him down, farther away from the giants. He kept struggling, being tossed and turned in the water until he managed to upright himself, and his head burst out of the water with a gasp for air.

"Mark!" Jack coughed up water and looked around. "Tyler! Ethan! Help!" He went under again; the bottomless body of dark and angry water churned him around like one of the trillions and trillions of particles already in the ocean. Jack waved his arms to swim, but he lost sense of what was up and what was down. His head started to spin, and he was getting desperate for air. But then his hand found air again, and Jack quickly thrust his head up for another breath.

"HELP!!" Jack screamed. He didn’t know where he was. Was it still dark? How far had he drifted? Was it daytime yet? Had the fog lifted? Another wave pushed him under once more. Jack squirmed in the vicious currents and tried to kick back up, but the wave persisted and pushed him pretty far down. I need to calm down! Jack tried to collect his racing thoughts. If I panic, then I'll lose oxygen quicker. Come on Jack, just calm down. You're not going to die, you're gonna be just fine. You're totally not suspended in millions of gallons of water, and you can totally see the bottom… Heheh.

His eyes were burning from the salt as he looked around for the surface. But as he looked through the dark, murky-clear water, he saw something moving and froze with horror. It was a shark. No, not just one, three. He held still as they came closer. He remembered reading something about how swimming away was bad, and he remembered that a shark's nose was sensitive. He hoped desperately that it was true.

One shark came right up to him and brushed past him, bumping the Irishman in the water. Jack tried to hold his breath longer, scared to death. They weren't deep-sea sharks, like the great white, but they were still dangerous and to be reckoned with. Another bumped Jack, and then the third, as they swam in circles around him. Jack shivered and looked up at the surface. It was so close, and he needed oxygen before he drowned. But if he made it to the surface, the sharks would just chase him down and tear him apart. Jack didn’t know what else to do though. He had to try something, and fast.

Jack waited until the sharks were farthest away, and then he slowly pushed himself up a little. They adjusted their paths, following. He did another small stroke, and another, and then he suddenly pushed off and paddled for the surface. He didn’t look back, and the rippling water invited him, urging him to come back into the air. As Jack kicked his legs to swim, he suddenly heard the water swish before a jolt of pain burst in his leg. Bubbles escaped Jack's lips as he screamed and twisted to see a shark biting down on his calf. He punched its nose before the bite could go deeper. The shark flinched and let go, but now blood wafted through the water like a dark curtain, exciting the other sharks. Jack kept swimming with his other three good limbs, but one of the smooth, hulking bodies pushed him away from the sky. Jack somersaulted and barely avoided getting his arm ripped off.

I'm gonna die, Jack realized with a cold tingle of dread. The sharks now circled him tightly. He couldn’t go anywhere. He was going to be torn apart. I can't believe it. After everything that just happened! I can't lose my friends! I need to get them back to normal! We still need to reverse the damage done and save everyone we can! But Jack could feel the pressure pounding in his head. He was  already fading: There wasn't much time now before he lost consciousness.

His eyelids drooped, and Jack felt his muscles relaxing against his will, despite how hard his heart pounded in his breast. Please. I don’t care if I die, but please, let them make it to the facility and save everyone, even if it's without me…

Then the felt the water churn. The sharks turned away and backed off, and then they suddenly swam away as a giant hand plunged in the water and scooped up Jack. As soon as they surfaced, Jack spit up water and coughed violently, gasping for air. He was rolled over, and as he continued coughing his back was rubbed to help the shock wear off, and to help him warm up. Finally, Jack collapsed and lay there, panting for breath. He heard sniffing as a familiar nose nudged his shoulder, and he smiled wearily.

"Thanks Ethan," he gasped breathlessly. Ethan purred nervously and nuzzled him. Jack groaned and closed his eyes as the other two giants swam over. Mark snarled when the smell of blood hit him, and Tyler's nostrils flared anxiously as he growled. "Ow, ow," Jack complained when Mark insistently took him up in his own hands. "Easy buddy, easy…" Mark sniffed at the torn up leg and growled angrily. Ethan whined back, and Tyler studied the water with caution. He pointed out the cloud of red, and Mark rumbled deeply with a furious expression.

"Ow, ow!" Jack gasped when Ethan touched his gaping wound. Mark snapped at him, baring his teeth with a glint of red in his eyes, and Ethan backed away with wide eyes. Despite the pain, Jack found the time to stare Mark down. "It's ok, really," he insisted between breaths, "He's just worried too." Mark relaxed and sighed, rumbling an apology to Ethan. Ethan nodded and vocalized, but he kept his distance. "Ok." Jack hissed in pain. "How-how bad is it?" Tyler shook his head with a quiet noise. Mark was biting his lip, anger giving away to serious concern.

Ethan piped up and ripped off a small strip from the bottom of his shirt. He held it up and continued making a series of sounds, and Mark perked up. He nodded and held the human out, keeping him cupped in both hands. Jack seized up and yelled in pain when Ethan moved his leg and slipped the cloth under him, and the Irishman clung to Mark's thumb as Ethan tied the makeshift bandage around the nasty bite. Jack tried to hold still, but after some colourful swearing he managed. Ethan finished quickly and backed up, and Jack relaxed with a tired sigh. Tyler was staring at the blood on Mark and Ethan's hands, twitching nervously.

Jack shuddered and slowly went limp, shivering in the giant's hands. Mark whimpered and cradled him close to his chest, casting a glance up at the dissipating storm clouds. Tyler cleared his throat and called to them, reminding them that they needed to keep swimming. Mark grunted and slid Jack carefully into his pocket, situating the poor guy in a hammock position at the bottom so he could rest. Jack stirred a little as the giants started swimming again, but then he went completely limp and fell unconscious.


	5. Sanctuary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A nap a day keeps ͙̗̜̜̺̩ͧͯ͗͗zͣ̆ͭḙ̮̺̖͓̖̿͊ ̠̪̳̪ͬͯͣ̾̑ͪͭg͆ͤ̓̄́͋̚o̱̠̩̻̙͉͙ͩͫ͒̒ȏ̽͆͌͂̾ͨ͏̠̹̙d̤͔̪͙̽̓̇ͬ dͮ̔̅ͥ͆o̪̺̒̉̚c̭̜͇͈͙̲ͮͥ̈̍̾ͤ͠t͖͍͈̮̃̄̿͆ͣ̉ô̞̤̜̺̹̔r̄̒ͧ͆ͤ  
> ̫͚̖͔͚̍̐͑̂ away!

When Jack finally opened his eyes, it was almost midday. The sun peeked through light drizzly fog when it could, but the world was misty and dark green. Jack's eyes rolled back as he summoned his strength, and he forced himself to sit up. He looked around and saw that he was resting in Mark's plushy raven hair. The air felt warm and humid, but there was a slightly chilly bite to it. Jack tried to get up, but he was quickly reminded of his hurt leg and stopped.

He felt Mark turn his head a little as the giant rumbled at the other two. Tyler growled in agreement, and they stopped walking. Ethan plopped down tiredly, yawning magnificently in the misty sunlight, while Tyler trudged off to find some kind of resources. Mark sat down carefully beside Ethan, and Ethan's eyes rounded when he noticed that Jack was awake. The Irishman smiled weakly and waved, making a shushing gesture so that the young giant wouldn’t alarm Mark. Ethan's eyes shined with understanding, and he looked away obediently. Mark yawned too and slumped a little, his eyes drooping tiredly and his shoulders hunched. Jack carefully lay back down and turned over on his side, exhaling. He was surprised to feel Mark suddenly reach up and gently rub his back, but he quickly relaxed and closed his eyes, smiling gratefully.

Tyler soon returned with a handful of wriggling fish. They shared them eagerly and purred their gratitude. Ethan yawned and rubbed his eyes as he leaned against Tyler, who rumbled softly and also yawned. Mark purred sleepily and leaned against a tree, and the three giants quickly dozed off. Jack let them sleep for a bit, as well as himself, but then he got up and hobbled his way cautiously down his large buddy. He stifled a groan as he put weight on his bad leg and almost buckled into a patch of pretty flowers, but he got a grip and forced hisself to to be strong.

I wonder where we are? What country we're in? It's very pretty. Reminds me of home. But when he thought of "home," all that came to him was a flash of a large city. Jack frowned. Wait, why am I calling this place home? I lived in Brighton! Before… Jack shook his head and dropped it. His mind was too fuzzy to think. I'm just still frazzled. I'm lucky to be alive. He glanced at the torn up leg and felt dizzy.

I need some water. He hobbled away from his three gargantuan friends and went up to a small creek. Getting down on his knees was tricky, but it was worth it in the end when he could get a few handfuls of fresh, delicious water that wasn’t salty nor shark infested. Jack sighed and noticed his dirty his skin was. He tried washing some of the dirt off his cheeks, but he definitely needed a shower. Well I'm a stinky boy. Jack cracked a smile at his reflection. I'm all tuckered out, but at least I've still got my good looks!

His reflection certainly looked amused, and Jack chuckled as he made a couple of terrible jokes to amuse himself. Then he got up and turned to head back to the others. His reflection watched him go with a snarling grin and green, menacing eyes. As Jack headed back to the clearing, some leaves suddenly rustled behind him. He stopped and looked around.

"Hello?" He called out carefully. No answer. A branch shuddered on his right, catching Jack's eye. He looked around, tensed nervously. His lungs were ready to scream for help if he had to. Then a figure suddenly jumped from a bush, and before Jack could properly yell another hand covered his mouth.

"Shh!" A light voice hissed, "There's giants close by!" Jack's eyes widened, and he ripped the hand off.

"Kathryn!?" The girl jumped in surprise as she recognized the Irishman.

"Jack?"

"Kathryn!" Two more girls stumbled out of the forest. All three were wearing dirty lab coats, and the girl who called out was Amy. And the girl beside him…

"Signe!" The name felt so vitalizing on his lips. The Danish girl recognized him immediately, and she ran into his arms with a soft cry.

"Seán!" They hugged, and Jack let out a sputter of relief.

"Ow, careful! My leg's all fucked up."

"Oh, what happened?" She dropped down and took a look at his leg.

"I, um, got attacked by sharks," he explained sheepishly. Amy gave him a wide-eyed stare.

"Land sharks?" Jack laughed before wincing in pain.

"No, I was in America." That got all three pairs of eyes on him.

"You swam here?" Kathryn exclaimed disbelievingly. Jack cringed.

"Uh… kinda…?"

"Well." Signe kept herself composed. "It's a good thing we found you when we did." She procured some emergency bandaging and wrapped her long-lost boyfriend's leg. "We need to get out of here, now. Can you walk?"

"I- kinda, but, why-?"

"There's giants all over this place." Amy nodded in the direction they came from. "We've been running from them for a good while, but it won't be much longer before… before they catch up." Jack frowned.

"Are ya still talking about the giants?" He asked, "Or is there something else here?" The three shared a nervous look.

"… Seán." Signe took a step forward and opened her mouth, about to answer when they all heard a growl. Jack tensed and quickly turned to see a territorial Tyler.

"Crap." Amy pulled Jack back, making Tyler growl deeper. "Just back away slowly," she whispered. They started backing up, but before Jack could explain to them that it was ok, Tyler bellowed and charged them. They shrieked and dived in separate directions, and Jack hit the floor. Tyler crouched over Jack and snarled at the girls; his eyes glittered with cold anger.

"Tyler!" Jack sat up and got off his ass as quickly as he could. "Whoa, whoa Tyler! Calm down!" Tyler growled at him and backed up a bit, his teeth bared uncertainly. He kind of reminded Jack of Trico, even with his eyes glowing silver… for some reason. Were they silver? Maybe it was just the light.

"Wait, Tyler!" Kathryn gasped. "Tyler, it's us!" But Tyler continued to rumble dangerously and hover warily over them. But then the trees rustled, and Mark and Ethan appeared. Amy looked like she was shot in the heart. Mark froze and stared back.

"Mark?" She whispered. Mark's throat muscles twitched. He rumbled softly, and Ethan's eyes lit up with delight. He yelped and bounded past Tyler, scooping Kathryn up and hugging her.

"Whoa!" Kathryn laughed, "Careful Ethan!" Ethan purred loudly as he nuzzled his friend, glad to see she was ok. Mark got down on his stomach and watched Amy warily as she walked up to him. She looked him up and down, and then she smiled.

"Mark?" She murmured, sniffling. Mark's eyes went soft and misty as he let out a cracking purr and nuzzled her tenderly. Amy smiled and started to cry, hugging his nose. "Oh thank god," she sobbed. Mark closed his eyes and started purring very loudly. A tear also slipped down his cheek. Jack smiled and steeled the swelling emotion rising up to suffocate his chest.

"Aww…" Signe hugged him again and put her head on his shoulder, watching the two. "Isn't that sweet? She's been so worried about him." Jack kissed her head and put his face in her familiar hair.

"I've been worried about you too," he said, "What happened? I thought you were vacationing in Nepal with yer family." Signe teared up and looked away, shaking.

"I-I was." Her voice was high and strained. "But then… well, s-someone…" Jack's brow furrowed.

"What happened? Who hurt you?" He demanded. Signe shook her head.

"Th-they didn’t hurt me, they just took me. They-they wanted me to study giants that they had captive here. They- h-he said…" Signe shuddered and whispered, "He said if I did what he asked, then they would let me go home, and-and you wouldn’t get hurt. They-they also… wanted to pay me, but… I didn’t want the money." She broke down. "I missed you so much, I was so scared!" She confessed, pressing against Jack. Jack hugged her tightly, glaring over her head at nothing but the little creek. Behind him, Tyler had settled down and allowed Kathryn to greet him, but even though they were all his friends he still kept an eye on Ethan.

"Who did this to you?" Jack asked. Signe sniffled and shrugged.

"I-I don’t know. He-he had his face covered, by a-a mask, like a surgeon's mask. And he had this- this weird accent, like a villain from a cheap horror movie." She shivered and snuggled his arm. "I'm just glad you're ok."

"Me too." Whatever douchebag was in charge of this operation in the first place, Jack was liking him less and less. Ain't nobody gonna get away with threatening my little Danish Cheesecake.

"Guys?" Amy looked around nervously at the trees. "We should keep moving, before-" Ethan suddenly jumped and yipped in pain. He reached for the back of his head and felt his nape before pulling something small out of his skin. It was a strange needle shaped thing: A sort of dart.

"Ethan?" Ethan looked at the dart for a few seconds, and then his eyes closed and he collapsed. "Ethan!" Jack yelled. Tyler growled and suddenly flinched, and Mark winced as well. Both giants slumped and fell unconscious, and Jack looked around wildly as Signe started shivering.

"They found us," she whispered.

"No, no, no!" Amy whipped around and glared at the trees. "Leave them alone!" She yelled.

"Brave words, Amy." A figure suddenly appeared out of nowhere and knocked her out with the butt of a rifle.

"Amy!" Kathryn tried to run to her, but another figure grabbed her from behind. "No, please, let us go!" She begged, bursting into tears.

"SEÁN!!!" Signe screamed. Jack whirled to see her being pulled away by more silhouettes.

"NO!!" He lunged. "No, leave her alone!" A foot connected with his hurt leg, and Jack collapsed with a weak scream. He tried to get up, but someone put their weight on his back, their heel digging into his spine.

"Round them up," a man ordered. "Get the subjects on the transports. And secure the girls. As for this one…" Jack tried to look up at their captor, but his face was shadowed by the sun. "The good Doctor will want to see him." The man smiled with a slight chuckle. Pain suddenly exploded in Jack's head as one of the men grabbed him, and it was lights out for Jackaboy.

And it involved blunt force trauma.


	6. Game of Survival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack wakes up under horrifying circumstances, and if he's to escape he must survive the doctor's wicked humor... and his friends.

It took Jack a while to wake up. He struggled just to drag his mind from the sticky, clingy cobwebs of unconsciousness as his head pounded like a gong. His eyes slowly opened, and he found himself squinting in a harsh yellow beam of light.

"Aha! He iz awake!" Jack frowned as a silhouette shadowed him. "Hallo!" The accented voice said cheerfully. "You ahr not dead! Zat is gud, veeeerry gud. I mean, not zat it vould make a difference, but I like to talk to my patients before zey die." Jack could have sworn he recognized that voice.

"Do I... know you?" He asked weakly.

"Ah, you ahr Signe's boyfriend, no? Vell, I thought so." The figure stepped closer and crouched in front of Jack. Staring out from a surgeon mask and black-framed glasses were shockingly bright blue eyes that practically glowed with a wild, eccentric eagerness. "I am a doctor," the German continued gleefully. "My colleagues simply call me 'Ze gud Doctor'."

"Y-you kidnapped her," Jack mumbled groggily. The doctor smiled coldly and gripped a clump of Jack's hair, shaking his head.

"Vell, kidnap iz a very strong word. I, ah, borrowed her! Do not vorry, I did not harm her. At least, not yet." Jack was still out of it, but anger boiled under his skin.

"Y-yer-yer crazy...!" He grunted. "Y-ye son of a bitch..." The doctor tsked and waved his finger.

"Zos ahr very bad things to say, you naughty boy." He suddenly laughed like he'd been told the best joke ever. It sent shivers down Jack's spine and helped him wake up. The doctor stood and walked across the room to drag over an old fashioned tv. Jack looked around; he was tied to a chair. He was stuck in an old, grimy room with one large window that was secured by thick steel bars, and the only furniture in the room was the old rickety chair, the bright spotlight, the tv that the madman had, and the rug under Jack's feet.

"Zere ve go." The doctor turned on the tv. Static crackled on the screen, until the image cleared away to a series of old camera screens. The doctor clicked on a remote and blew up one of the screens. Jack's breath hitched.

"You traveled vit zees three, yes?" He panned between three different screens: The first one showed Ethan isolated in a cell large enough to contain him, with a shackle around his ankle. He was huddled up in the corner, his face pressed in his knees and looking miserable. The second showed Mark, and he was glaring straight at the camera. Chains shackled him around the neck and ankle. But Tyler's was the worst. He was covered in shackles, completely immobile and laying in the center of his cell. As soon as a human-sized door to the cell opened, Tyler lashed his limbs and snarled like a cornered animal, straining against his chains. The lab assistant, Jack deduced, was shaking a little as he walked in cautiously and held out a large plastic bag of something. Tyler suddenly stopped and immediately turned his head, and his eyes turned silver as he rumbled with an intense stare.

The assistant tossed the bag and scuttled to a safe distance as Tyler swung his head and caught the large bag midair. He bit down, and a dark colored liquid dribbled down his chin. Jack gagged and tried to look away, but he found he couldn't as Tyler disturbingly devoured the bag whole; It was bloody.

"You cannot save dem," the doctor said, "My subjects have all lost zer hormonal balances vit ze gift of power and strength. It iz only a matter of time before ze other two of your 'friends' succumb to zer instincts." Jack kept the bile down and looked up at the doctor.

"Yer insane!" He shouted. "What the hell is the matter with you!? Why are you doing this to people! Millions of lives have been lost!" The doctor waved an imaginary fly away.

"Nothing but numbers. My work iz too important to be slowed down by simple tingz like death. Death iz only a part of ze circle of life." He waved his hand, and two men entered the room. "Subject Two and Three have not eaten for a while. I think it iz only a matter of time before you vill make a nice snack for one of dem."

"What!?" Jack struggled as they untied him and dragged him out of the chair. "No! No!! What are you doing? Get off me!" All one of the guards had to do was punch his bad leg, and he was made helpless. They dragged him out of the room and through a rotting hallway. As they went past some padded cells, Jack spotted Signe through the bars, along with the other two in separate rooms.

"Signe!" He yelled, only to get clubbed on the nose and yelled at in German.

"Seán!" But he was carried away. They dragged him into a larger and more open hallway, one probably more suited for giants to fit through, and brought him to a sort of caged elevator. They dumped him on it and swung the gate shut, promptly locking it. One started turning the lever, and his prison was raised up. Jack swung uneasily in the cell, and he resorted to gripping the bars so hard that his knuckles turned white as he was levitated high above the floor. Then the chains stopped with an ominous clang, and he was left hanging in the dark.

At first, all Jack could hear was his own shallow panting echoing. But then he heard something wild yowl in the distance and flinched against the bars. His heart was thrashing madly in his breast, and he still felt sick from seeing what the doctor was putting his friends through. And it sounded like there was other creatures here, being tortured and exhausted for the doctor's studies.

Jack's lip curled in disgust.  _What kind of doctor uses people for scientific torture? A sick maniac, that's what!_  He slammed his fist against the metal mesh, only to curse and cradle his hand. "Ow! Fuck!" He swore and slumped, anger gradually fading to a miserable whimper. _This is my fault. If I hadn't gotten myself mauled by sharks, or-or if I hadn't..._  His thoughts trailed off. He sighed. There was nothing he could have done. What happened, happened, and he couldn't change anything about it.

 _What I should focus on is getting the hell outta here._ Jack dragged his body across the compact cage and peered at the lock. To his surprise, something was sticking out of it.  _What the hell? They left the key in!_  The only problem was getting it. He studied the bars. They were small squares around the padlock, but around the rest of the cage they were just long streaks. Jack put his arm through the nearest place he could fit and tried to reach for the key. Just out of reach. His longest finger could almost touch that simple little handle, but it glinted mockingly in the dark. Jack groaned and tried again, but this time he put his whole weight in it, cramming his shoulder between the bars.

 _By the power of the four leaf clover! I got it!_  Jack gasped raggedly and turned it. The lock clicked, and the padlock fell off as the gate swung open.  _Ok, I got it!_ Jack took his arm out and blanched at the long drop.  _Oh shit._  The padlock clanged far below. Jack swallowed and looked around. He studied the pulley system that held his prison up and nodded to himself.  _If I can get onto the cage and maybe climb down that chain, then I can safely get down. But I don't know if I can with my leg... No, I have to try. I gotta get everybody out of here!_ Jack tried to not look down as he grabbed the edge of the top, pulled himself out and hauled hisself. He dragged his battered body onto the unsteady surface, tensing as the metal floor swung unauspiciously.

"Christ!" Jack hissed, clinging to the sides. The chains rattled softly, and Jack waited until the cell stopped swinging around. Then he sat up, held on to the chain and started swaying his weight from side to side. He held his spare hand out, leaning forward, and when the time was right he ducked and grabbed the chain that draped from the floor. "Yes!" He held on, took a deep breath, and slid off the cell's roof. As the cage swung freely behind him, Jack half slid half climbed his way down the long chain. He kept his eyes fixed on the chain, refusing to recognize how far up he was until his bad leg accidentally hit the floor. He cursed and stumbled off, almost falling onto his butt.

"Phew," he sighed. _Thank Jesus that's over._ He looked around and tried to remember which direction the guards had dragged him from.  _I need to find the girls. And Mark, Ethan and Tyler._ Jack shuddered. The vicious image of Tyler losing control was still fresh in his mind. There had to be a way to reverse the effects. Under that stone face, he was more than just primitive feelings!  _The girls will find a way to help him. I got to get everyone out of here._

Jack went with his gut and headed off in what he hoped was the right direction. He was limping badly, which slowed him down significantly. The wound was open again and trickling blood, no doubt thanks to the doctor's rough-handling men. Jack reminded himself to punch a wall ten times more than usual. He didn't get very far into the labyrinth of hell before hearing a patrol coming from the hallway around the corner.  _Shit!_ Jack looked around wildly for an escape, and once again luck was with him.

The guards walked on by, not noticing the tiny drops of blood at their feet that led to a vent since it was so dark. Jack waited, tense, as they passed his hiding place. Just in time, he had managed to pull the cover off, climb in, and put it back in its place before they came around the corner. Jack wasn't feeling incredibly lucky, but he felt hopeful now that things were starting to go his way.

He remembered how to breathe after their footsteps faded, and he exhaled with a soft, "Phew."  _Good thing The Escapists taught me a thing or two._ He looked over his shoulder. The ventilation system was bigger than usual, just big enough for a person to crouch-walk through. And behind him, an eager, dark tunnel yawned widely. Jack swallowed nervously and kept moving.

 

 

 

 _Ok, this is turning into some Vanish bullshit_. Jack had gone on for what felt like ages! He had little patience for making no progress, and so it was starting to badger him. He stopped beside a vent and peeked outside. Nothing. It was a bland, boring hallway, just like all the others. Jack puffed his cheeks out and sighed loudly.  _Maybe I'm going in circles now. Maybe-_

He felt a vibration in the floor and froze. There it was again. The vent's insides rattled slightly. The tremors were getting louder, rhythmic. Jack had been around giants long enough to know that those were footsteps. Which meant that one was headed in his direction.

He shrank back and hid in the shadows as the approacher thudded closer. Then a familiar shoe slammed beside the vent. Jack covered his mouth. His blood was hot and running wildly.  _Shit, shit! Why did they let him out of his cell!?_ Then the pieces clicked together. _It wasn't luck that the key was left in the lock, it was deliberate! That doctor wanted me to escape!_ Rage and disgust boiled in Jack's veins, but fear kept him silent.  _He must have let all three of them out, so now they're running around in a scavenger hunt for the prize: Me._  Once upon a time, Jack would have believed that these three goofballs that were his friends would have done nothing to put him in harm's way. But now, they were wild, being driven mad by a scientist who was all talk and no breeches, and functioning only on the desire for blood... or, a certain, handsome, Irishman.

The giant before him, Tyler, stopped beside the vent and sniffed suspiciously. Jack pushed himself back a little further. A giant's hand was too big to fit through the vent, but any extra space was appreciable comfort. The maddened giant growled and swung his head around, as his eyes glowed silver with a cold glint of hunger. He rumbled and slowly continued walking, lumbering away with slow thuds. Jack listened to him leave, and as the footsteps faded, he could help but wonder: Were the others driven mad by starvation?

The question didn't comfort him, so Jack delve back into the maze of metal. It was an unending world of twists and turns and ramps, so exhausting that Jack was starting to go stir crazy. He needed to just pick an exit and make his way to Signe and the others. Maybe he could even find a control room to unlock their cells, but he wasn't sure if Tyler or the others would then be able to make it to them before he could. It was frustrating and sending Jack's thoughts in circles, and he hated when that happened- both mentally and physically.

Finally, Jack settled for a vent and carefully pried it open. He took a wary glance down both dark halls and listened. No giants around. He wondered if there were more than just his three starving buddies as he climbed out and picked a hallway. As he kept limping along, Jack tried to picture himself in a horror movie, or some kind of fan game.  _Who knows, this could even be fanfiction!_ Jack amused himself a little at that ridiculous idea and cracked a slight smile.

But then he felt a slight tremor, and his smile dropped. He stopped and listened. It was footsteps, but they didn't sound as heavy as Tyler's. It must be Ethan! Hope fluttered in Jack's chest. Maybe Ethan was withstanding the effects of hunger. Surely nothing could bring down that innocent little- well, "little"- blue boy? Jack turned and looked down the hallway as the giant emerged from the shadows.

"Ethan?" Jack called out hopefully. "What's up my cranky crew...?" His spirits quickly plummeted. Ethan was shuffling his feet with a zombie gait, and when he smelled Jack his head moved in his direction, giving Jack a chilling look at his blank, white, glowing eyes. They weren't vicious like Tyler's, but... in fact, there wasn't any emotion in them at all. They were just... blank.

Jack took a step back and looked around for an escape route. There was the vent he'd came out of, but it was between him and Ethan. And he had a sneaking suspicion that Ethan wasn't in the mood for bargaining. But could he risk it? Ethan wasn't charging at him yet. If he moved first, he might have the time to squeeze in and pray for the best.

Jack took a deep breath and hobbled closer. Ethan stirred with a low rumble, his blank eyes still fixated on the injured human. Jack went as close as he dared, and then he sucked up the pain and burst into a run. Ethan vocalized a sort of bark and took off as well, charging at him. Jack yelped and dived, throwing his body into the vent shaft. Ethan clawed at the opening as Jack dragged himself deeper in, but he felt skin graze his back leg and almost smother his lower half body. He shrieked in surprise and pulled away. Ethan was trying to reach into the vent!

Jack crawled away and didn't look back. The sounds of Ethan struggling to follow him gradually faded, and he kept going until he found himself going up to a different vent cover. He pushed it open and tumbled out, spilling onto the ground with a roll before splaying.

"Ohh," he groaned and rolled over on his back, breathing heavily. His lungs were on fire, and he couldn't feel his leg; only acidic agony. He sat up and pushed himself up against the wall to take a look at his injury. He stifled a cry of pain: His bandaging was falling apart, and it was dripping with blood. He bit down on his dry lips to stop himself from screaming in pain and looked away, choking on a sob. _I can't do anything. I can't even help myself!_

Jack was trying to keep fighting, but his spirit was failing now. He was alone in the dark, with only his spirit's flickering light to illuminate his way. He was stuck at the end of a hallway with a battered, neglected body, a mangled leg, and the faltering will to keep going. Jack closed his eyes and sniffed.  _I'm definitely going to die. I can't go on any further._ Old memories began pouring through his thoughts, reminding him of all the good old days; before the apocalypse, when everything was good and happy, and even before they all got captured by that mad doctor.

He felt a tear slide down his cheek and tickle his whiskers. He was crying now, as he smiled sadly.  _Ironic? I'm going to die at the unwilling hands of my giant, starved friends. Hell of a way to go, of all possibilities. Course, I might die before they even find me._

Of course, that meant he had just jinxed himself. He heard a deep rumble reverberate through the air, sending shivers down his spine. He opened his eyes and looked down the dark hallway. At first, he couldn't see anything, but then he found himself mere meters away from a pair of red, glowing eyes: The maddened eyes of his third feral friend.


	7. Mirage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang races against time to find a way out of this mess, but will it be too late?

Jack didn't expect death to have such a familiar face. He certainly never expected to die at the hands of one of his closest friends. But here he was, corned against the wall with a lame leg and nowhere to run nor hide. He was bare and fully exposed under the giant's vermillion eyes.

Mark growled softly and lowered himself onto his stomach. As he pulled himself closer, Jack pressed his body against the wall and covered his eyes. _Shit, shit..._ His hair stirred as a hot breeze ruffled his clothes. _I'm so dead. I'm so dead, I'm so very dead!_

"Please just make it quick!" Jack gasped, and he braced himself. Seconds silently ticked by, filled only with heavy breathing and Jack's rapid heartbeat.

Then he felt Mark gingerly push his nose against his stomach. He flinched, shuddering, as the giant nuzzled him gently. Jack slowly looked out from under his hands to see that Mark had his eyes closed and was rubbing against him. Vibrations coursing through Jack's world made the Irishman realize with a start that the giant was purring.

"M... Mahrk?" Jack whispered. Mark rumbled and exhaled a warm breath of air. Jack shivered and felt tears start falling as he laughed in relief. "I-I shoulda known ye'd be a stubborn ass!" He sobbed. Mark whined as Jack hugged his nose and almost broke down crying. But he held himself together when he heard Mark's stomach growl.

"Aww." Jack looked up at the giant. "Yer starving aren't ya? That mean old coot hasn't been feeding you, has he?" Mark growled and pulled away from Jack. "I'm sorry buddy, I don't-I don't have my backpack, I don't have any of my food." He yelped when Mark suddenly stuck his tongue out and licked his bad leg. "Hey!" He chided, "Mark!" Mark ignored him and lapped at the wound. Remembering what happened last time, Jack sighed and let him. He relaxed as the pain slowly went away, and he found that he could wiggle his toes without any agony except a dull, throbbing pain.

"Thanks dude," he sighed. Mark rumbled and tossed his head to the side. He did it again, urging Jack to look until the Irishman noticed a camera. It was behind Mark, being blocked by the giant's shoulder. No doubt the doctor was watching right now, waiting eagerly for Mark to devour him.

"Are you saying we need to perform an act?" Mark growled and sniffed Jack's leg, making sure that the bleeding had stopped. "Well, fuck," Jack sighed, "Guess we can't really do anything else. I need to get to the girls so they can reverse whatever that doctor did to Tyler and Ethan... and you, but... yer pretty stubborn, I think you'll last a bit longer before ya go crazy." Mark ruffed curtly. Jack took a deep breath.

"Ok," he agreed, "Let's do this."

 

 

 

The doctor heard the scream from one of the monitors the same time one of his men exclaimed, "Sir!" He hurried to the screens and searched for the correct camera screen. The sudden movement caught his eye, and he grinned madly behind his mask.

"So, Subject Three found him," he remarked.

"It appears so," his companion beside him agreed, "He was being weighed down by his injuries, and then was finally cornered by Mark Fischbach." The doctor clapped his hands excitedly as Mark's head turned toward the camera. His red angry eyes sent a thrill of delight through the doctor as he saw, with glee, that Jack was dangling from his teeth by one of his legs, squirming to no avail. Then, in one smooth motion, he opened his mouth and flicked his tongue, and the Irishman disappeared from sight.

"Brilliant, brilliant!" The doctor cried giddily, "He iz perfect! He iz so clever, such a fantastic hunter!" His assistants nodded sheepishly, trying to mask their nausea. "You zere!" The doctor whirled around and picked a random grunt. "Go ahnd check on ze other two. Make sure zat zey find zeir vay back to zeir cells." The grunt nodded nervously and hurried off.

"And what of Subject Three?" His associate asked, wrinkling his nose. The doctor glanced at the screen, where Mark was sniffing around the hallway before he ambled off.

"Leave him be for now," the doctor dismissed. "Let him enjoy hiz reward. We'll recapture him in a little bit." And then he let out a crazed laugh. In his eyes, everything was going perfectly according to plan,  _finally_.

 

 

 

Jack did not like the idea he had presented, but it was the only way to make sure the doctor stopped caring about him. Mark hadn't been eager either, but they both knew they needed to act out his death. It went perfectly. Mark had given his best savage act, and Jack simply channeled his inner terror.

As soon as he could, Mark made his way to the prison corridor and spat Jack out. He made a disgusted sound and shook his head, trying to swipe the taste of his friend off his tongue as Jack shuddered and took a few seconds to react.

"Yuck!" Jack muttered, fixing his hair. "I thought yer mouth would be bigger given how much you yap about everything." Mark growled and stuck his tongue out. Jack laughed nervously and got his large buddy to put him down.

"Ok, you remember the rest of the plan?" He asked. "Wander around acting bloodthirsty still to keep Doctor Who-the-fuck off my ass, find Ethan and Tyler, and we all skedaddle?" Mark nodded, studying his hand. Despite his attempts to wipe it off, some of Jack's blood still stained his hands. "Ok, let's go." Mark nodded again and left as Jack ran into the human hall and headed down the right corridor. He saw the right place and hurried down, and he ran up to Signe's cell.

"Signe!" He whispered.

"Seán?" She came out of the back of the room. "Seán!" Signe clasped his hands through the bars and cried out in relief. "Are you alright?" She wrinkled her nose. "You smell like a wet dog! What happened?"

"Um... I'll explain later," he answered sheepishly. "But right now, Imma get you guys out of here." He pulled out keys Mark had procured for him and worked on the lock. As soon as the right one successfully opened the prison, Signe hugged him.

"I'm so glad you're ok," she told him. Jack smiled and gave her a peck on the cheek.

"Me too." He handed her the keys. "Come on, help me open the others." They busted Amy and Kathryn out, and Amy only needed to take one look at the disheveled Irishman before she shook her head.

"You almost got yourself killed breaking out, didn't you?" She said.

"Details." Jack dismissed it with a wave of his hand. "Come on, we gotta undo the doctor's work and turn everyone human again." Kathryn nodded.

"I know what we can do." They led him through the halls and took him to a control room. Jack scoped out the next room and saw that up ahead was a lab, but there were two men guarding the double doors.

"I'll distract them," Jack whispered to them. They nodded, and he pushed through the door. "Help!" He wailed, staggering. The men stiffened and put their hands over their guns.

"Who are you?" One demanded, "What are you doing here?" Jack stumbled up to him and grabbed his shirt collar, trying to ignore the gun when the soldier drew it.

"I've-I've s-seen serious shit," he gasped. "O-one of the-the subjects, th-they- they-" Then he threw back his head dramatically, "It ate me!" The two men blanched.

"What!? How are you alive?" They demanded. Jack shrugged.

"I don't-I don't know! I just remember darkness, and-and then I woke up, and-"  ** _CLANG!_**  Amy and Kathryn jumped out of hiding and knocked the guards out with two pipes. Jack staggered and caught himself.

"Nice hit," he complimented. Amy shrugged and dropped her pole.

"Nice theatre drama." Signe helped Amy open the doors as Jack and Kathryn tied the unconscious men up and shoved them in a closet. Then they retreated into the lab and looked around.

The lab was creepy. Even when Amy turned on the white lights, it only added to the atmosphere. The lab equipment was used but dusty, the windows were dirty, and there were vials of eerie liquids; most were odd colors, and some even glowed.

"Ok, Jack, don't touch anything," Amy warned, "We'll look for the formula, you just stay put." They split up and started looking around. Jack stood there only for a few seconds before he took a looksee. He wandered along a row of counters and passed a broken mirror, which he paused to look down at and smiled.  _Despite everything, it's still me._  He kept going, and his reflection smirked alongside him before disappearing as well.

"Huh." Jack stopped in front of something covered by a cloth. He pulled the cover off, and his eyes widened. "Whoa!" He exclaimed. It was a septic tank, and hovering inside neon green liquid was a green ball with a tail. "Aww!"

"That's Sam." Signe came up behind Jack and smiled at the strange ball. "He's an eyeball. The doctor has weird experiments, but this little guy is cute." As Signe's voice, the eye opened halfway and chirped sleepily. Jack grinned as it floated to his eye level and studied him curiously.

"Jack, Signe." They were called away to the other side of the room. Amy was peering into a large vial of red liquid. Jack wrinkled his nose.

"That looks dangerous," he remarked.

"It is. It's suppose to dissolve a major amount of the hormones that have conquered the giants' minds, so that their brains will return to a balanced amount of chemicals. So don't touch it." Jack decided to keep his hands to himself.

"Ok, so how do we get it to fix Tyler, Ethan and Mark?"

"It has to be done orally." Jack sighed.

"Of course does," he groaned. Amy divided the red formula into three shot glasses. "Is that all one giant needs?" He asked incredulously.

"Too much and a giant could die... trust me," Kathryn said with a shudder. Jack frowned sympathetically.

"All righty then." He snatched up one of the glasses. "I'll tackle Tyler," he declared.

"I'll get this to Mark," Amy offered.

"I'll get one to Ethan then," Kathryn agreed.

"What about me?" Signe looked around at the lab. "What can I do?" She prompted.

"Watch the lab till we get back," Amy ordered, "Lock it behind us, don't let anyone in unless one of us says the code."

"Code?" Jack asked.

"PPAP," Kathryn said. Jack perked up.

"Oh! Pen Pineapple Apple Pen?" He exclaimed. Amy giggled.

"No silly. It stands for-" she sighed and shook her head. "Nevermind. Sure, if that's how you want to remember it." Jack beamed and pecked Signe's cheek.

"We'll be back in a jiffy," he promised. She nuzzled his shoulder.

"You better," she murmured, "Otherwise I'll have to bust out of here on my own with just Sam and my pet rock named Steve."

"... I'm not even gonna ask."

"We can discuss pet names later," Amy interrupted, "Come on, let's go!" They headed out and split up to find the giants. Jack was glad that he could actually run thanks to Mark, but the temporary fix was starting to wear off. It was starting to hurt again, but Jack refused to stop running. At least, until he came around the corner and found himself face to face with Ethan.

"Oh shit!" Jack staggered back, but he had already crossed the invisible line. Ethan started in surprise, but then he recovered and charged at the lone human. Jack yelped and led the giant on a wild goose chase, but he was relieved to turn a corridor and spot Kathryn.

"Kathryn!" He yelled. She turned and looked on with surprise as Ethan charged into the hallway. Jack skidded to Kathryn's side as the woman held up her vial and shouted, "Ethan!" Ethan skidded to a halt and stared at the two humans. Jack panted for his breath as Kathryn stepped forward, her hand poised to throw.

"Ethan," she called, "I know you're in there somewhere." Ethan rumbled and licked his lips. Kathryn took a breath and hurled the vial. Ethan reacted the suddenly moving projectile by snapping it out of midair and eating it. "Good boy," Kathryn coaxed, "That's it. Now you're going to feel a little sleepy, ok?" Ethan blinked, already swaying on his feet. Jack watched as the giant mumbled sleepily and fell on his hands and knees, shuddering. "That's it..." Kathryn walked up to the giant as he slumped on the floor and pat his nose. Ethan whined, and his eyelids drooped as the white in his eyes flickered. They turned back to their normal color, and Ethan collapsed.

"... Is he ok?" Jack asked. Kathryn nodded, putting her hand in front of Ethan's lips to check his breathing.

"He'll be all right. He just needs a minute." Ethan groaned and blinked. Jack limped up to Kathryn's side. "Ethan?" Kathryn asked hopefully. Ethan blinked and looked at the two humans in front of him. Jack grinned up at him.

"What is up my crAnky crew?" He said, imitating the young giant. Ethan smiled and let out a rumbly purr, laughing. Kathryn giggled and clapped Jack on the shoulder.

"Ok, let's go find Tyler." Jack nodded, and Ethan trilled, sniffing them both worriedly. "We're ok, buddy," he told Ethan, "We just need to fix Tyler back up and we can all kick some doctor ass." Ethan rumbled and rested his cheek on the ground, rolling his eyes up at them. He vocalized, and then Jack perked up as he realized what the giant was suggesting. "That's a good idea! Thanks buddy!" He climbed up and helped Kathryn onto the giant's head. Ethan rolled back over and got up, looking around with a curious frown.

"Just take off in a direction," Jack suggested. So Ethan shrugged and ambled off into a random hall. Kathryn sighed and sat back as Jack checked on his leg, and he winced. It still didn't look pretty.

"You ok?" Kathryn asked quietly. Jack shrugged.

"I'll live." He rolled his pantleg down and sighed. "I just need some ͙͔̟̩̳͉̮á̩̣͙̻̦̥͍̆͋̐ͦ̚n̡̥ͩ̃̈́̇̃̅t͔̜̱̳̫̱ͯͧ̄̌̑̓ͮi̺̣ͯ̉̍s̟͆ͤ̃̍̇́͊͢e̱̣͂ͣ̉̓ͧ͡p͇̹͇̹̲̯̰̐̕t̊̽͑̇i̭̣̠̻̜͈̲̽ͮc̝̱͓͚͒͛̈́ͨ, and soon." Kathryn nodded.

"Well- Don't worry. We'll get out of this mess, I think." Jack exhaled slowly.

"I sure hope so," he agreed, "The sooner we stop this, the more lives we can save." He shook his head and muttered sadly, "All those poor people though." He sat there for a few seconds, and then he leaned against Kathryn and gave her a reassuring hug. She gratefully hugged back, murmuring a quiet thanks.

Ethan suddenly halted in his tracks and yelped. Jack looked to see a figure in the shadows sniffing one of the high up cameras and growling. He suddenly stopped and turned his head, and his eyes reflected what little light there was and magnified it. Kathryn tensed, and Ethan shivered as he took a step back and whined.

As Jack reached into his pocket to take out the vial for Tyler, Tyler suddenly roared and charged them. Ethan squeaked and dodged, accidentally slamming into the wall. Kathryn screamed and managed to keep her balance, but Jack wasn't so lucky. He teetered off balance from the force and toppled out of Ethan's hair with a yell. He tumbled down the giant's shirt before managing to grab ahold of the fabric wall. Ethan shook his head, dazed, and stumbled before Tyler shoved him back into the wall. Jack lost his grip and fell, bouncing against Ethan's shin before he crashed onto the floor and rolled at their feet.

"Jack!" Kathryn yelled. As Jack got up, he realized his jacket was wet. He reached into his pocket and pulled out glass shards. His eyes widened.

"Fuck, it broke!" Tyler's foot slammed beside him. Jack yelled and stumbled back as Ethan tried to push him off. But Tyler was too strong, and he threw Ethan to the ground, almost squishing Jack. Kathryn shrieked as she tumbled safely on the floor, but Ethan bore most of the force. The floor cracked from the landing, and Ethan cried out in pain. Tyler pounced on top of him and snarled, pressing his throat into the floor and snapping at him. Ethan struggled valiantly, but he was losing the fight. His struggles got weaker, and he yowled for help.

"Tyler!" Kathryn cried, "Tyler stop! Tyler please!" Tyler turned to look at her and growled hungrily. Ethan slapped his wrists, gasping for air. Jack was struggling to comprehend his environment when a shadow fell over him, and he looked in time to see Mark jump over him and tackle Tyler head-on. Tyler staggered off of Ethan and rolled under Mark's weight. Ethan crawled away and collapsed some ways away, breathing heavily as he tried to recuperate.

"Jack!" Jack whirled on his heel to see Amy running up to him. "Give him the formula!" She yelled.

"I can't!" They dodged a flailing leg. "It broke when he slammed into Ethan!" Jack added.

"Shoot!" Jack ducked away from Tyler's kicking leg again when he realized Amy was holding a vial of the formula out for him. "Shoot!" She repeated, and Jack realized what she meant. He grabbed it and scuttled out of the way as the tussling giants rolled.

"Mahrk!" Mark turned, and Jack threw the glass bottle. "Slam dunk!" He shouted. Mark shoved Tyler away, twisted around, and then caught the formula. Using his momentum, he continued to turn and pinned Tyler down. Tyler snarled and tried to push him off, but Mark didn't budge. He pried his mouth open and shoved the formula down his throat. Jack checked on Ethan as Tyler's struggles faltered.

"You ok buddy?" Ethan stirred and lifted his head. He whined in Tyler and Mark's direction; Mark had collapsed beside Tyler, panting as the other giant underwent the effects of the formula. Kathryn sighed in relief.

"Bravo!" Jack turned as the doctor walked up to them with a block of men behind him. He was clapping, and Jack guessed that he was also smiling from the maniacally delighted look in his eye. "Zat was fantastic!" The doctor exclaimed, "Superb! Vut a clevehr boy you ahr, I have not been zat intrigued in a looong time, Jack, and you! You faked your own death!" His grin spread under his mask. "I must say, nobody haz pulled off something like zis in a very, veerry long time. Not even an old friend of mine. You all played such marvelous parts, such splendid characterz!" Amy shook.

"We're not characters in some stupid story!" She yelled, "And certainly not your puppets. Let us go Dr. Schne-" the doctor waved his hand and interrupted.

"Ah! As far as you know." He turned to Jack again. "Jack. I really am impressed. I must say, ze vay zis haz gone, it'z almost like I am ze final boss fight, no?" He smirked. "Vell, you vould be wrong. Eet iz not me zat you should be vorrying about."

"We played yer stupid games, 'doctor'." Jack took a step toward the doctor, and the men behind him raised their weapons. But the doctor waved his hand, and they hesitantly lowered their guns and let Jack continue. "You're going to mass-produce the formula," he said, "Yer also gonna undo all of the damage you've done: You will reverse the primitive effects on giants, turn them back to normal, and use yer doctor's degree for something better than fucking up the world!" Behind them, Tyler groaned and sat up. Ethan yipped and ran to hug him.

Jack felt pretty justified in his words, but it puzzled him when the doctor twitched and started to cackle. "You ahr so naïve," he giggled, "I can see vhy you ahr ze good von." Amy was trembling beside Jack; Jack scowled.

"Oh really? Well what's that suppose to-" Amy suddenly started and tugged on Jack's sleeve.

"Jack, Jack!" Jack looked at her, and she pointed behind him. He heard Mark groan as he turned around, and he saw with a bolt of alarm that the giant was writhing on the floor.

"Mark!?" He ran over to his gargantuan friend. "What's wrong?" The giant snarled, making Jack take a few steps back. "What did you do?" He yelled at the doctor. The doctor shook his head.

"I did not do anything! He haz simply run out of time." Ethan whimpered as Mark rolled over on his back, arching his spine as he let loose a ear-shattering scream. Everyone except for the doctor flinched and covered their ears as the plaintive screech dropped a deep, furious snarl. Mark collapsed on his side, and Jack and Amy ran up to him.

"Mark?" Amy whispered. Jack had a heavy pit of dread settling in his stomach. There was a lump forming in his throat as he held Amy back with his arm, and he cautiously approached the giant.

"Mahrk?" Ethan scooted back and picked Kathryn up, holding her to his chest with a nervous noise. Tyler bit his lip, holding his breath, and even the doctor's men looked unsettled.

Then Mark's eyes suddenly opened. Jack perked up hopefully. "Hey buddy," he called softly, smiling, "How ya feeling...?" He trailed off and dropped his smile when the giant's eyes snapped to focus on him. He blanched and backed away; there was no recognition in Mark's eyes. "Shit." Jack backed away, grabbing Amy's arm.

"Take it slow," she whispered. Her voice cracked a little. "Slow and steady." As they slowly backed up, Mark rumbled and sat up. His eyes flicked around, taking in his environment attentively. Tyler was tensely standing to the side, and Ethan looked appalled. Mark's eyes narrowed, and he growled softly as Jack and Amy backed up to Ethan. Then, the feral giant stirred, and he suddenly opened his mouth and, shaking the entire facility, unleashed a non-verbal roar.

"RUN!!"


	8. Duck, Duck, Goose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Mark turned feral and out of control, Jack needs to figure out a game plan to save their pal before someone gets killed. But something feels fishy...

It was hard to tell which way to run since chaos had erupted. Mark charged the humans, but Tyler lunged to intercept him. Ethan snatched Jack and Amy up and sprang back as the doctor's men ran forward to protect their boss.

The doctor turned to run, but Ethan stomped his foot down to block him, growling. "Don't you dare!" Kathryn yelled angrily. "Take another step and you'll regret it."

Ethan growled, agreeing.

"Amy." Jack shook the poor woman, who was watching the fight going on with horror. Mark was clawing at Tyler like a rabid animal, snarling and pushing and grabbing. Tyler was doing his best to keep the feral giant back, but despite his advantage in heighth, Mark was slightly stronger. "Amy!" Jack tried again. "We need to get the formula to him."

"W-we can't," she mumbled, "I-I gave you the last of it." She shuddered and covered her mouth. "Oh, god, Mark..." she said miserably.

"I-I can-I can make it!" The doctor tried to bargain, waving his hands. "I can make more of ze formula!" Ethan put his three little human friends on his head and picked the doctor up by the back of his lab coat. He held him up at eye level and growled suspiciously.

"Conspiracy theories later, running now," Kathryn chided. Ethan grunted and gave his buddies one more glance before he turned and ran away to find the lab. Mark, meanwhile, snarled and pushed Tyler, making him stumble and almost land on top of the soldiers. The men yelled and started firing at Mark. Mark bellowed and shielded his face, and when they reloaded, he counterattacked. Tyler backed away with wide eyes at the scene of his friend's anger that unfolded before his eyes; the worst part was that Mark didn't even hesitate when he sweeped his arm and knocked the soldiers off their feet, hitting them against the wall and promptly knocking them all out. Tyler quickly turned and ran after the others.

Mark panted, standing in the center of the unconscious men. There was one soldier still conscious, but his leg was broken, and he couldn't move enough to catch the giant's attention, let alone escape. But Mark ignore him away. He ignored all of them and turned away, blocking out their metallic scents as he tilted his head back and inhaled deeply.

He craved something else. Not the numerous mercenaries of the doctor, nor the crazy scientist himself. He craved more wild blood: Someone who had an exotic taste. He looked down at his bruised hands and licked his fingers. His blood grew hot with an excited stir as he caught the sweet but wild taste. It was older than the soldiers' blood that he smelled behind him, and he had tasted it before. He sniffed the air to pin down the exact human. His stomach growled as he caught his scent, and he rumbled hungrily; the hunt was on.

 

 

 

The doctor yelped as Ethan plopped him down in front of the laboratory doors. Two men stood guard in front, and they look bewildered at Ethan's successful effort to cram into the human hallway and crawl prone.

"Signe?" Jack slid down Ethan's arm and pushed past the guards. "Signe!" Entering the room, he saw Signe seated on the other side of the room, surrounded by more armed men. "Signe, are you ok?" Obeying the doctor's command to stand down, the men parted and let Signe rush to her love and hug him.

"Seán! Are you ok?" She cried in his shoulder.

"I'm ok, are you?"

"I'm all right." Amy followed Kathryn in, looking down at the floor. "What about the others? Did it work?" Signe asked. Amy made a choking sob and turned away. Jack bit his lip and hugged her again.

"There was a problem." He explained everything the best he could while Ethan backed out of the hallway to talk to Tyler. He looked mortified when Tyler explained to him through rumbling and gestures what had happened; he looked like he'd seen a ghost.

"So..." Signe blinked with glassy eyes. "He's- he's a...?"

"A feral giant? Yep."

"Well, what's the plan then?" Singe looked over her shoulder as the doctor tapped on Sam's tank. "What are we going to do?"

"Well, the 'doctor' is going to make the formula," Jack said pointedly. The doctor looked over at them with wide, nervous eyes. "Do ya get it now, doc?" Jack challenged, "Do ye see what chaos and destruction yer little science experiment has unleashed?" He strode to the doctor and grabbed his shoulders. The scientist tried to squirm out of his grip, but Jack held firm. "All yer doing is cowering behind others," Jack yelled, "Letting people die for yer own fucking mistakes. All yer doing is hiding behind that mask!"

"Seán," Signe tried, but Jack shook his head.

"No, he needs to understand the gravity of our situation." He looked the doctor square in the eye. "If you don't make the formula and fix Mark now, we are going to die," he warned, "Everyone! We are all going to die! You need to take charge, and grow up!" As the doctor struggled to form words, Jack ripped off the surgeon mask and knocked off the doctor hat in his frustration to prove a point.

"Jack!" Kathryn exclaimed. But it was too late. He didn't answer her. He stared with shock at the true identity of the doctor, and then he was the speechless one.

"Y... Y-you?" But he couldn't utter any words. His mind had started to make connections, but before he could continue the doctor snatched back his mask and quickly put it back on.

"No, you ahr not suppose to see my beautiful face!" He cried. Jack staggered, and Signe rushed to support him.

"Y-you... all this time...? Wh-what?" His eyes were wide, and his chest bobbed with startled breaths.

"S-Seán, just calm down, take a deep breath," Signe shushed, "Just sit-sit down, and..." She guided him to a chair, where Jack sat and stared at the doctor.

"... Did you know?" He asked in no more than a whisper. Signe shook her head.

"No, I-I didn't." Her voice shook like Jack's did. The doctor cleared his throat and put his surgical hat where it belonged.

"Vell den. I'm going to die," he said. Then he shook his head. "Amy, vhere ahr ze ingredients for ze formula?" Amy stood still for a few seconds, like a ghost, but then she slowly turned and hurried off. Kathryn sighed and rubbed her eyes, drained. Signe held Jack's hand to her chest with her fingers laced between his, trying to comfort him as they struggled to wrap their minds around everything.

"Is any of this even real?" Jack muttered. Signe gave him a confused look.

"Of course it is." Jack shook his head.

"But-but if he's here-"

"Seán," Signe insisted, "I'm-I'm just as confused as you are, but... this is our life. There's nothing else, ok? This is real." Something about those words felt false. Jack grit his teeth and put his head in his hand.

"That's the thing. It doesn't feel like it." Signe put her head on his thigh.

"I know. With everything going on, it's all screwed up. But we can do this, we're going to save Mark, and we're going to fix this." Jack sighed.

"Here's to hoping." They all fell quiet as a roar echoed through the facility. Amy shivered and turned, looking at the doorway. Ethan and Tyler twitched nervously, letting out worried rumbles.

"He's looking for us," Jack murmured. Signe shivered and latched onto his arm.

"We'll fix him," she promised. The doctor grunted nervously, but Jack ignored his skepticism.

"He might find us before we have the formula." Amy cried softly in Kathryn's shoulder. Jack frowned and turned to the doorway.

"Seán?" Signe tugged on his sleeve. "Seán- don't," she begged. Jack stood, looked back at her, and hugged her.

"We need more time. I have to." She whimpered and kissed him. He kissed back and added, "If I don't lead him away, he'll find us all before the doctor can finish the formula. I have to."

"I know," she sighed anxiously, squeezing his hands. "But I don't like it." They shared a long look, and then she unwillingly let go of his hands. He nodded, and then turned and left the room. "Just come back," she whispered with teary eyes.

Jack walked out and saw Tyler and Ethan watching him approach with wary expressions. "I need yer help," he said, "We need to distract Mark long enough for the others to make the formula." Ethan shrank back with a nervous noise. "I know, I know buddy," the Irishman sighed, scratching the back of his head, "But we gotta keep him away from here." Tyler grunted, agreeing, and crouched to let Jack up onto his shoulder. As the giant sat up again, Jack looked over at Ethan. Ethan exhaled and nodded.

"Okay." He tensed as Mark bellowed somewhere in the distance. "We'll need to make sure he doesn't come here, or at least make him think we left." Tyler rumbled and pointed at his leg. Jack recalled his injury and exclaimed in understanding. "Oh, I got ya." He rolled his pantleg up and saw that the blood was still wet and fresh: Perfect for catching a feral giant's attention.

Tyler leaned up beside the wall, and Jack smeared some of the crimson red on the cold dusty stone. Then they started traversing through the corridor, leaving salty stains on the wall as they took the trail away from the lab and led it deep into the labyrinth.


	9. Straight to the C͢͞ḩ̸̛͢͡ą̵s͘͘͟͏e̷̸̛͠

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coming head to head with their crazed friend, can Jack find a way out of this Labyrinth of chaos, or will Mark be his bane?

"Should we do more?" Jack asked. His leg was really starting to ache, and his fingers were stained with blood. "I think if we keep this up then I'll die from blood loss," he admitted. He had asked both giants earlier if either of them could heal his leg like Mark had. Tyler had been too nervous about going feral again to try, and when Ethan did tentatively give it a small try, it didn't work. Whatever healing properties were in Mark's saliva, it was unique. But his leg still hurt, and Jack could really use some medicine now: Real medicine. Tyler chuffed in agreement and turned away from the wall. Jack managed to quickly do a small smiley face with what remained on his fingers before the giant moved away.

The Irishman sighed and slumped against Tyler's neck, and his mind wandered to Mark.  _I hope he's okay. Poor guy, I wonder if it hurts to turn feral like that, he seemed to be in a lot of pain when he did..._  Jack frowned.  _Would he remember me? Could I somehow talk him down and stop him from hurting anyone else?_ Jack quickly reminded himself that Mark was not responsible for any of his current actions, and that he was under the influence of violent instincts. _If anything, it's my fault._  Guilt still pricked Jack's heart.  _We wouldn't be in this mess if-_

Tyler suddenly stopped and sniffed the air, stiffening. But a second after he stopped, Mark burst out of the shadows and tackled him head on with a snarl. Tyler roared in surprise and fell, and Jack tumbled to the floor with a breathless exclamation. Ethan yelped and pushed the feral giant off, but Mark quickly turned and barreled into the young giant, sending him flying against the wall.

Tyler bellowed and locked his arm around the feral's head, dragging him off his feet and flinging him to the floor. He winced at the sound of the ground cracking under Mark's weight, but Mark was unfazed. He twisted and grabbed Tyler's leg, throwing him off his feet and rolling on top of him. Ethan, recuperating, tried to throw him off, but the giant elbowed him off and tried to stifle Tyler's struggles. His teeth were bared in a desperate snarl as Tyler kept trying to throw him off, completely unaware of his actions and their consequences, and blinded by his hormonal imbalance.

"MARK!!" The three giants froze and looked to see Jack. Jack stood there a little ways off, panting and favoring his good leg. He was holding his bloodied hand up, captivating Mark's attention. "You want some? Come and get it!" The Irishman yelled. Mark's nostrils twitched as the irresistible scent reached him, and he let out a deep growl. Jack wavered a bit, and then he realized now was a good time to start running. As he turned and bolted, Mark roared and pulled away from the other two giants. Ethan yelped and tried to hold him back, but Mark shook him off like he was nothing and tore after the human.

Ethan shook his fist and growled, frustrated, and quickly turned to Tyler. Tyler watched as the beginnings of a chase faded into the dark, gloomy labyrinth, and his thoughts sent out two simple words in prayer for the brave Irishman:  _Be safe._

 

 

 

 _The guys in movies make this look a lot easier than it is!_ Jack was running as fast as he could, glad that he had tightened the falling apart bandages beforehand. As soon as he had been knocked from Tyler's shoulder, Jack knew that Mark would want him more than revenge against two giants that were actually his friends just trying to help. He was familiar with his blood already, so fixing his wound's dressing gave him the benefit of a very smelly hand. And worked it did.

Of course, now there was the challenge of surviving a pursuing, feral giant. Friend or not, Jack knew if he couldn't find a way out of this mess, then they were all goners.

He led Mark back along the marked path in hopes of confusing the giant, which almost worked. But then he caught up, and Jack racked his brain desperately for another plan.  _Come on! I can't keep this up for much longer. My leg will give out, he'll catch up, and then I'll be toast!_  He spotted a vent and put the pedal to the metal. Diving for it, he tugged at the cover, only to realize with horror that not all of the screws had fallen out on this one.

 _Shit!_ Jack prodded frantically as the screws, twisting and trying to pull them out. The tremors in the ground were rising in amplitude, and he kept trying. He managed to rip two of three out, but his hands were shaking as the irritated skin began to bleed.  _Come on, come on, just one more!_ He risked a glance over his shoulder. Mark came around the corner and skidded to a halt. They locked eyes, both panting from the chase, and both desperate to achieve their goal. The feral giant let out a low snarl and started approaching him, with slow and steady steps toward his cornered quarry. Jack gulped and rattled the screw, wondering if this was really how he was going to die. But then the screw came out, and the cover fell with a loud clatter.

Mark started in surprise and growled at the loud noise, whereas Jack turned to the open vent with a second of immobile shock. But then he recovered himself, and he quickly climbed in as Mark too recovered and dived for the tiny opening in the wall. Jack shrieked as he was flung up against the ceiling when Mark dropped to his stomach and scratched at the wall. Jack rubbed his head and shook it, trying to snap out of his daze when Mark managed to force his hand in deep enough to touch his legs. Immediately, he put his weight down, pinning the Irishman.

 _What!?_  Jack, still dazed and confused, tried to squirm away, but Mark dragged him away from safety and pulled him out of the vent. Jack collapsed on the floor with a gasp of pain, and he slowly rolled over on his back to see Mark hunched over him. His lips pulled back in a snarl, growling at the battered man and giving him a good look at what was going to be his demise. Jack was paralyzed, and he couldn't summon the strength to move as Mark moved his head closer and growled again, taking up the human's entire vision with what was once a kind and gentle countenance.

"M-Mark..." Jack coughed weakly. "I-I know yer in there... s-somewhere..." He smiled weakly. "Come on Mark, it's-it's me! It's yer boi Jack." Mark growled, but he didn't bring Jack closer to his demise. "Come on, bud. I know you remember me," Jack continued. His voice became more confident the more the said. "I mean, yeah, I don't have the green hair anymore, but it's still me. Don't you remember?" Jack suddenly found himself starting to get up. Mark growled and pulled back, eyeing the Irishman suspiciously for any signs of running away. But Jack hobbled closer to the giant, still smiling kindly despite the pain.

"Do you remember the time we first met?" He said gently, "I-I do. God, I was such a mess back then. I didn't know what I wanted to do, but then when I met you, you helped me find my own path." Jack felt his strength waver and staggered, but he managed to stay standing. "And do ya remember all those games we played together? All the bad jokes, and-and the prop hunts and collab videos and all those amazing times we got to hang out with everybody else?" The anger in Mark's eyes wavered. He growled softly and hesitated. Jack took another step closer.

"I-I know it's hard to remember right now," he coaxed, "And this isn't yer fault. That son of a bitch did something to yer hormonal balances. All you can feel right now is anger, hunger, violence. Everything opposite of you, Mark, but yer still good. I know yer still in there somewhere dude. Please, you can fight this. You don't have to hurt anybody. Isn't that what you vowed to never do?" Mark was hesitating. His eyes still glowed red with unwilling hatred, but a tear fell down his cheek. He was at war with himself.

"Jack!" Jack turned to see Amy come around the corner, holding up a vial of the formula.

"Amy!" He exclaimed, "Wait! Don't come any closer!" But it was too late. Mark's head snapped in her direction as he snarled defensively at her; the spell was broken. Amy halted with wide eyes, trembling.

"M-Mark," she whispered as her eyes watered, horrified to see her love so broken and primitive. Mark jumped to his feet and charged at her, and Amy shrieked as she narrowly avoided his incoming hand and ran to Jack. "I've got the formula, are you ok!?" She called.

"I'm fine!" She turned at his side as Mark shook his head and sneezed at the cloud of dust he had uprooted. "Though I'm not sure we will be for much longer," Jack muttered. His knees were shaking, and his legs threatened to give out under him; this was it. Either everything went right and they managed to fix Mark and save him, or everything would go to hell, and no one on the planet would be saved. Jack took a shaky breath and turned to Amy. "Gimme the formula," he said.

"B-but-"

"And don't look. Go in the vent and, whatever happens, don't watch." Amy shook with a stifled cry. She put the bottle in Jack's extended hand and nodded with a silent, "Okay." She glanced mournfully at Mark as the giant recovered and started to approach them, and she looked back at Jack.

"Please bring him back," she said with a sob. Jack nodded, and she turned away and crawled into the vent. Jack took a deep breath and looked up at the feral giant, at his brainwashed friend.

"Come on buddy." Jack took a deep breath. He couldn't fuck this up. He had one chance, one chance to get this right. "Let's end this." Mark tasted the air, and his gaze didn't leave Jack as Amy got to safety. He rumbled and slightly bared his teeth, and his unwavering gaze was full of impatience and hunger. Jack shifted his weight from one foot to the other, waiting for the giant to make a move. Then, finally, the feral broke the spell and bellowed. He charged toward Jack, who stood his ground, and made to pounce. Jack finally moved and jumped away, and Mark crashed into the hard cold ground. He ran forward and climbed onto the giant's hand, and Mark shook his head and snarled, disorientated.

Jack took the opportunity to run dangerously up to the giant's face. Mark opened his mouth to roar, but Jack wound his arm. "No hard feelings, man!" And he chucked the formula down the giant's gullet.

Mark choked and jerked. Jack was thrown to the floor as the giant swallowed and cleared his throat. He rumbled in confusion and blinked; he was already beginning to feel the effects of the poultice. As Jack groaned and got up, Mark turned to him, and their eyes met. The anger in Mark's eyes flickered. Red faded to brown, and then his eyelids drooped, and he collapsed on his side. Jack shook his head and ruffled his hair, and then he limped over to his poor friend, who lay gasping and semi-unconscious.

"... Mark...?" Jack finally called hopefully. His lashes fluttered, and then the giant's eyes slowly opened. Jack smiled at the reflection of himself that he saw in the giant's eye, relieved to see only the gentle, yet passionate, kindness that he knew was always in his gargantuan friend. "Hey buddy," Jack said softly. Mark groaned and closed his eyes, exhausted. He turned his head and weakly nuzzled the tiny Irishman, who in turn nuzzled back. "Welcome back, Mark."


	10. Derailed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Mark back under control, Jack and the gang now hold the key to savi͚̬̰͔̓̉͊̌͑̂̑n̴͎̪g̛̘̮̦̳̈́̏͗̈́ E̶̛̺͈̭̙̦ͤ͐ͦ͛̈̅͡R̵̗͈͚̳ͥͩ̓ͪ̏̊̏̚͢͝R̻̩ͩ̅ͨ͟͠ͅO̊ͮ̍̇ͪ̓ͩ̃҉̴̰͍̪̱̬R̶̷̫͔͙̥̬̥̼̲͛ ̡́̂ͮͪ̅̒̉͘͏̜͕͇̰5ͨ̍̈͏̢̱̩̫6̸̳̮̦ͣͩͩ̾̃̔ ̗̀̄9̴̨̤̩̘̬̝͋1͕̜̐̓͆ͣ̚9̦̤̟̩̞̮̩ͮ̆ ͉͎̣̜̯̘͚̣̫ͣ͊ͣ̓͆̊9̗̳̜̥̪̃̉͊̑ͯ͑̓͑̌͘1̱̩̺̬̪̺͈ͬ̏́ͪ4͇̫͓̰̮ͩ̇ͪ̈ͯ͗ͩ̉̾͘ ͧ̇͊ͭͧ̏̑̚҉͚͙̪̕͞ͅ3̰̯̤̗̥ͯ̔1̴͓͇̘̺͇̟̊̂ͯ̎̚͜͞ͅͅ5̙ͪ̅̅̌1ͥ̌ͩͪ̅͒͏̳͚̞4̵̢̩̓2̩̙͒̊͋ͬͥͬͦ̉͠0̇͊̓̏ͧͩ̿҉̞͍͓̤͉̠̫͘͜1̵͇̗̺͖́̃̈ͫ̾8̱͙̄̅̈́͋ͥ̈́̐ͩ͝1̳̺̖̖̹͊̾́̓ͬͣ͒̕͢͝5̷̪̦̯͑̈ͅ1̯̹͐͊ͯ̾̇2̸̨̙̱͚̺͇̬̎̊̊̒̚̕ ţ̊͊̓̊̒̀҉͈͈̣͎̮͇͖̬̳͝ͅḧ̡̢̦̙̻̰̻̯̺͇̙̤̟̩̼̫̙̪̮́͌͊̓̄̿̅̕͠e̵ͮ̈̄̆͂ͦͪ͂ͩ͆͒͗ͤͨͮͩ͒͡͏̸͎̦̫͓yͪ̿͒ͭ̐́ͨ̔ͫͭ̔̾̓͗́̈҉̹̟̮̹̹̯̠̲̩̲̻̻̰͍̣̕'̶̰͕̗̲̒ͣ͗̓̕͜l̛̫̤͚͍̲̳̬̣ͮ͛́̎̽ͤ̉̾ͬ̄̓ͥ̇̉̚͟͠l̷̢̠̼̻͕̮̓̿̂͂͋͒ͩ̄̐̏ͪ̈̆́ ̋͂̍͆̔̃̑͊ͪͦͯ̃ͮ̃̿̕͡҉͢͏͉̺͕͎̭̬̫̯̪̻ͅn̴̖̠͇͖͔͓̱̞̣͔̈́͐͊͑̈́̋͆̀̐̃̇ͤ͗̾̑̓͜e̷̱͎̲̳̍ͭͮ̀ͬ͑̈́́̿v̶̵̴̛̮͈͙̙̯̞̞̫̺͙̥͓̻̫̤̩͑̽ͥ̀̂̇̍ͪ̍͊̿́̐̈͞ͅê̴̽͒̇͋̒̅ͫ̈́̈́ͯͥ̑͐ͬ̈́̐ͩ͗͟͢҉̤͇̩̲̣ͅȓ̴̶̥͇͖̪̭̼̭̺̗͕͋́͛̏̒́͑̔̚ ̷͇̯̗̹̮͍͋͑̉ͬ͋͆͗͋̾̃ͥͤ̈̎ͭ̈́͌ͮ͢͠ȩ̷̴̨̫͈̣͕̫͉̰̻̼͗͋ͬ̐͛͊̂ͯ̇͂ͧͦş̵̴̯̳͚̥͓̖̪̗̗̙ͬ͋ͩ͋̿͗͒͂͛ͣ͊̿̌ͫͩ̊̎ͩ̃͡ͅͅc̸̶̢̢̙͖͎̻̞̼͈͔̯̬͓͈͎͇̗̉ͫ̊͂̊ͪ̾ͫ͂ͮ̏ͧå̸̘̰̹̻͙̜͔͎̤̦ͨͪͨ̃̇̓̀ͭͅp̶̵̱̭̖̣͉̬̏̇ͬ̈́̓͑̅̓̋͛̂̓͋̐ͭ͜ê͉̘͖̮̅ͫ͑ͯ͐̊͟͠͝͞ͅ.

Jack was watching the window with a blank expression. Through the thick glass, he could see Amy talking to Mark and checking his vitals. From the look on their faces, he guessed that everything except for his size was back to normal. He sighed, and suddenly he felt a presence sidle to his side.

"You did it." Jack turned to look at Signe.

"It wasn't just me," he said, "Besides, we can't go congratulating anybody until the formula's given to everybody else. We still need to figure out how the hell to get everyone back to normal size." Signe nodded and squeezed Jack's hand.

"I know," she agreed. She leaned forward and pecked her lover's cheek. Jack turned a light shade of pink and smiled at her.

"I'm glad yer ok," he murmured. Then he noticed the doctor approach them out of the corner of his eye, and he tilted his head toward him.

"Ahm." The doctor cleared his throat. "Zer iz a theoretical chemical equation zat I might be able to use in order to reverse ze effects of my little, uh, experiment."

"Thanks," Jack sighed. The doctor nodded sheepishly. His eyes kept nervously flitting from the window to the Irishman.

"I-I ahm, I just think zat maybe you should consider finding a new home, since zis place iz a little shit-hole." Jack scoffed.

"Yer right about that." Amy nodded to Mark and walked back into the lab.

"Hormone levels are stable," she said, "He's completely regained control of himself, for sure, and so have Ethan and Tyler."

"Great, so the formula works a hundred percent," Kathryn pointed out; although, relief still shined in her eyes. "And the guys Mark knocked out?"

"A few broken bones," Amy answered, "But they were all very lucky. They'll need some time to heal, but the other doctor is tending to them right now."

"Great!" Signe hugged Jack's arm. "Can we get out of here now? It's awfully cold, and we need to help everybody else." Jack chuckled.

"Yer right." He stroked Signe's hair and then looked up at the doctor. "So where's the exit?" He asked. The doctor shifted nervously from one foot to another.

"Head down ze corridor and take ze third left, zen right on ze second hallway," he answered. Jack nodded.

"Got it." He turned with the others and headed out of the lab. Ethan was sitting against the wall beside Tyler, who was just leaning against it with his arms crossed over his chest and tapping his foot, and Mark was rubbing his hand in the cold stone floor, trying to clean off the last traces of blood with a vexed expression. Jack found himself grinning, overjoyed to see Mark back to his normal self, and he ran ahead of the others to greet their large pals.

As soon as Mark noticed him, his eyes rounded, and he grunted with a relieved smile. He lowered his head and nuzzled the approaching little Irish man, and Jack giggled and hugged his nose. "Hey buddy. How ya feeling?" Mark purred and then let out a big yawn. "Me too." Jack looked up at Ethan and Tyler, greeting them both. "I'm glad you guys are okay too," he said. Ethan vocalized with an optimistic smile, and Tyler too looked hopeful.

"All righty then." Kathryn nodded. "Let's get out of here."

"Just a second." They turned to see the doctor walking up to them. "Might I see Jack for a quick word before leaving zis place?" He asked, wringing his hands. They all looked at Jack, who blinked.

"Uh, yeah, s-sure." He gave Signe a quick assuring nod before he slipped away from her and his other friends, and he followed the German doctor back into the lab. To his surprise, all of the guards had left the room, leaving a vacuum for words to be exchanged.

"So." The doctor removed his gloves and tossed them aside. "Vhat do you think vill happen vonce you leave zis place?" Jack blinked.

"What do ya mean?" He asked. "We'll-we'll get out, we'll figure out a way to mass-distribute the formula once you've made enough of it, everyone will regain their lost selves and wake up back in reality. And then everyone will be okay." The doctor muttered something under his breath, and the best Jack could think he heard was "you vont." "I don't really see what there is to question here," Jack continued, "Were you asking me how much to make? Amy could answer that for ya, she-"

"No, Jack." The doctor shook his head and looked Jack straight in the eye. "Zat iz not really vhy I brought you back in here." Jack frowned, puzzled. "Turn around," the doctor said.

"... Wwhhyyy?"

"Zer iz a mirror behind you, and I vant you to see something." Confused, Jack turned, and he saw his reflection.

"My reflection?" He asked. "I can see it, so I'm not dead or a vampire or anything."

"No." The doctor stepped out of the background. "You know better zen dat." Jack's breath hesitated. "I know you've seen it," the doctor continued, "You've seen it out of ze corner of your eye, but not enough to actually vitness it. Vell, look now." Jack's eyes widened. His reflection's didn't. Jack looked over his shoulder, and then back at the creepily calm reflection.

"What's going on?" He exclaimed. His doppelganger grinned, and his eyes bore into Jack with a strange green glow. Jack was p̶a͜r͜a͟l̛y̵zed. He felt that he couldn't move, he couldn't tear his gaze away from t͘h̵͟o͢͟͞s͜͡͝e̕ e͏̷y͏e̴̛͝s̴̕͏.

And then he felt a small stab in his neck. Jack winced and managed to tear his eyes away from that riveting gaze, and he looked to see the doctor holding a now-empty s̷̢y͡r̴͢͝i͘n̢g̛͘̕e̢͜͝.

"I am sorry, J̵͜a͘͘c̵̡̛͜k̡̛," he said, "But I have to do zis." His voice quivered as he spoke. "It iz for your own good." Jack's legs wobbled. He staggered and leaned on the counter, panting. His vision hazed and wobbled with a strange 3D effect, and Jack gasped for air. He tried to speak, to ask the doctor what was going on, but his lungs felt as though they were collapsing on themselves. His limbs felt clumsy and sluggish, and when he tried to take a step toward t̨̧͘h̴҉͟e͠҉͏ d̢̧͢͠o͘͏̴̢͡c̶͘t̶̨̧͟o͢r̛̕͜, he fell. He fell through an invisible floor, entering a void of agony and directionless disorient. And all around him, a strange but familiar voice began to cackle. The l̸͞a̢̧͟͜͟ų̶҉̧g̷͘͜͏h̸̷̛͟ rose in volume, amplifying until it surrounded him, vibrated within him, and became ̵̡̦̹̘̖͕̰ͦͩ̈́̏͠a̛̪̗͉͖͈͔̞̣͚̿͐̚̚͠ ̶ͬ̾̏ͪͯ̇̀̋̊̾҉̱̜͓͚͚p̶̧̡̥͓̟̻͓̭̗̝̫̖̙̓ͥ̏̅ͨͣ́̎̍͋ͤͪͤ̋̒̿͑̚̚͜͜a̡͈̼͙̫̲͖͙̬͔̘̤̳̯͍͎̜̭̬͎͒̿ͬ͋̊͌͑͑ͤ̈̉́̈̒͡r̷̡̡͈̺̹͔͖̮̥̮͇͖̝̙͚͎͎̫̙̈̊̌̐ͤ̽́ͧͩ̅̉̿̌̉́̏̃̄͢͠ẗ̢́̉̿̑̏ͭ̌̉̾̓̋ͨͪ͆ͩ̚̚͏̶̦̳̳̻̙̫ ̢ͭͤ҉̦̣͚͙͍̙̳̠͓͢ơ̸̢̠̺͉̤̟͎̘̣̯̰̖̦͚̳̐͒́̈̿͐̽̉͟͠f̸̸̷̺̱̬̯̟̤͍̜̜͈̠͙ͥͫ̂̆ͧͮ͊̎͒ͪͬ͒͞ ͕̠͕͙̺̪̞̝͈̖͖̜̥̦̘̣̪̤̫ͧ͆̌͛ͧ̄́̊ͬ̌̽̏̑͟h̡̛̽̆͑ͪ̍͆ͫ̍͗ͭ̇ͤ̄̔̅͗̏҉̪͓̣̱̫̬̙iͭ̉ͭ̉ͨ̊̑ͥͨͪ́͛͑͡҉̗̤͍̳̳̼̫̺͍̼̻͠ͅm̢̞̬̼̮̻̼̐̏̈ͩͪ̌̒̇ͣ͑ͮ̔ͦ̂̍̾̚͠͞͝. Jack realized dimly, somewhere in the back of his mind, that he was the one laughing, yet his body felt like it was ̡͕̙̟̝̰͎̝͙ͮ͗̒ͭ̈́̚͡ơ̴̦͎̪̬̦̂̈̂́̈́̿̈̽n͎̘̤̱̣̑ͨ̇͠͠ ̵͍̟̱ͦ̒ͨ̃̋͐̇f̻̰̮͉̠̘̳̀͑̄͐̐ͬí̂ͭ̀͆҉̛̩͉͙̝̖ͅr̖̦̦̹͖̳̞͐̏̉̐e̶͉̳̘̰ͯͧͩ͛̍͋ͪ̔ͣ.

_And that was when Jack woke up._


End file.
